


I Could Get Used To This Heat On My Skin

by HimeBeat



Series: But It's Profound to Be Understood [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A little angst?, Adventures in Alola, Also Ash and Go fixing their friends' problems, Also Playful Sex, Ash and Go being wholesome, Because they like to meddle, Dorks in Love, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, The Alola Gang, Vacation, but later on, if you can call it that, playful banter, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 44,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HimeBeat/pseuds/HimeBeat
Summary: Ash and Go take a well deserved vacation in Alola, surrounded by friends, memories, and (almost) unexpected adventures.Join us for a vacation week, filled with days (and nights) around MeleMele and beyond (you know, other dimensions type-of-beyond).Chapter 13/13 - Day VI: Epilogue.
Relationships: Gou | Goh/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: But It's Profound to Be Understood [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743232
Comments: 102
Kudos: 275





	1. Day I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! As promised, here is the first chapter of my Alola fic - we'll be here for a whole week, so stay tuned for the days (and the nights) in the boys' vacation.

Ash was certain that, if he was ever pressured to choose one place (and only _the one_ place) to spend the rest of his life, he would choose Alola.

He couldn’t say which island, precisely, though maybe MeleMele. If anything out of familiarity.

Because that was the thing with Alola, it felt familiar, even when he’d only lived there for a couple of seasons, he felt like he belonged, in a way he hadn’t felt anywhere else.

Pallet-town would always be his hometown, and that was special, too, his mom was there, Professor Oak was there, most of his Pokémon were there. It’s where he met Pikachu, and where his journey began. All of that was special, and he loved his first home.

But he had also lived _so much_ in the last eight years, made so many friends, had so many adventures. Every time he returned to Pallet-town, he had an odd certainty that sooner than later, he would be on the road again.

Although that had changed, too, in the last year, since now he had a different place to return to.

It didn’t have a fixed address as much as it had a face, with blue eyes, and two adorable red stripes at the front of his hair… 

He sighed, dreamily, as he watched the familiar Alola Islands begin to sharpen through the window. A matter of minutes, now, until they landed.

Go had been his home for longer than he’d known, probably.

Actually, Go had always been his home, it’d just taken him a while to find him. To find each other.

But, if he weren’t so hopelessly in love with his research-partner, and he was pressed to choose a place (with a verifiable address) to be his home, he was quite confident he’d choose Alola.

Because Alola had his friends, and Professors Kukui and Burnet, who were a second family to him, it had the ultra-guardians, and mysteries to solve, and freaking-ultra-wormholes that took them to other universes and _Z-Power_ that made him feel even more connected to his Pokémon. How incredible was all that.

Everything was just a little better in Alola, and he couldn’t _wait_ to spend the next week in there, surrounded by some of his favorite people, and his beloved Pokémon.

They were taking a well-deserved vacation, after almost a year of being on the move with Go as a research team, they’d managed to catch a break from Professor Sakuragi’s long list of “Pokémon Mysteries to Solve”

The only mystery he wanted to solve this week was the one of how many hours in a row could Rowlet truly sleep, and see if he could beat the record.

Pikachu, on the seat next to him, was already practicing.

“Come on, bud, we’re here” he said to his friend, who opened its eyes lazily, heavily front paws moving to scratch the side of its head, looking up to the trainer with hopeful eyes “Yeah, all right, hop on” He leaned his shoulder toward his friend, who was happy to jump on, and perch itself in a familiar position.

They made it out of the airport relatively quickly, the morning flight not as packed as he’d expected.

Right by the exit, he easily spotted his friends, waving excitedly.

“Ash!” Called Kiawe, always the loudest of the bunch. He smiled broadly at them, and sprinted to hug them.

“Alola! it’s so great to see you all”

“We’ve missed you so much!” Exclaimed Mallow, as she hugged him “How are you? How’s all been? We’ve got a lot to catch up on!”

“You can take him shopping later for that” said Kiawe, pushing her off, claiming his own hug “ _After_ we’ve had a battle!” Ash nodded at the idea, with enthusiasm.

“it wouldn’t be a trip to Alola without battling you, my friend” He said with a laugh, Mallow and the rest joining them.

“It’s good to see you, too, Pikachu” greeted Lillie, petting the electric-mouse, still comfortably resting on its trainer’s shoulder, she looked around, estranged “Uh, Ash, where is Go? Wasn’t he coming as well?” Asks the blonde, repairing in the obvious absence.

Ash looks down, pout forming on his face “Yeah, about that…”

“Don’t tell me he’s not coming!” Interrupts Lana “We had planned to train with our water-types!”

“On, no, he’s definitely coming” Assures the trainer “We just couldn’t make it on the same flight. We were supposed to, but he left for Hoenn three days ago for an emergency, and his connection back to Vermillion was all messed up… anyways, he’ll get here tonight. I brought most of his stuff, and I’ve got his water Pokémon, Lana, I’m sure they’ll be excited to see you” he explains, smiling, though still looking slightly disappointed.

“That’s too bad, that you couldn’t come together” Laments Mallow.

“It’s all good, really! We’ve got the whole week, after all” His expression lightens considerably, and his friends smile with him, that unwavering optimism being one of their favorite things about the aspiring Pokémon master.

“All right, let’s get going, Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet are waiting for you… oh, and… Naoko doesn’t know you’re coming” Confides Kiawe.

“What?! What are we still doing here, let’s go!” Hurries the trainer, over-the-moon at the idea of surprising the girl he thinks of as a little sister.

-0-

“You all settled, sweetie?” Asked him Professor Burnett, as he came back out to the living area.

“I think so” Responds the trainer, somewhat absently, still taking in his surroundings “This place is amazing” He exclaims, admiring the high ceilings and the overall majestic feeling of the place.

“Oh? That’s right! You hadn’t been yet” Remembers the woman, Ash nods.

“Go told me a little, after he came last year for that conference, said it was massive, but I thought he was exaggerating” He says over a laugh.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s _massive,_ but, you know, it’s our forever home, we wanted to make it special, and for it to fit our entire family, you and Go included” she says, smiling warmly at him, making him blush at the feeling behind her words.

“Thank you” He responds, just as sincerely, feeling the urge to hug her.

As he’s about to act on it, though, he is tackled at full speed by what’s gotta be the strongest six year old in the world, because that’s the only plausible reason as to why the head-butt hurts _so fucking much._

“Ash! Let’s go play!” Exclaims the little girl, pulling at the leg she’s just hit, seemingly unaffected by the impact.

“Naoko! Don’t jump on him like that!” Scolds her mother.

“It’s all right, really” he soothes, even though his thigh will probably _bruise._ He picks her up easily, holding her with one arm, and she’s quick to start poking the marks on his cheeks with curious hands. “Naoko was just playing, right?” He winks at her, and her smile is so bright it could light up a room.

“Yes! let’s go play some more! Let’s go to the beach!” She suggests, and Burnet sighs, shaking her head.

“Baby, Ash is probably too tired for that, he’s just arrived from a _long_ and _exhausting_ travel from Kanto, and he needs to rest” She explains.

Naoko pouts, and turns, very seriously, to face the trainer “Is that true, big brother? Are you too tired to play?” She asks, eyes pleading.

Even if he’d just climbed a mountain, with _Melmetal_ on his _back_ , he could never say no to those eyes.

“You know what? I think I’ve got just enough energy to go to the beach” He says with a smile, she jumps excitedly, almost making him drop her, but he reinforces the hold with his other arm, and lets her wrap her little arms around his neck. He looks up to Burnet with a questioning look.

She rolls her eyes, humorous “Very well, you may go, but I want you all back before Kukui gets here, which is usually around sundown, Ash” The trainer nods in understanding “What time is Go arriving, do you know?”

“Uh, should be around seven, but he will text when he lands” He’d last heard from Go about an hour ago, when he was arriving to the Mauville City Airport, still a while before his flight, he’d texted Ash to get off his phone, and enjoy the afternoon.

“Ah, if we’re going to the beach, then we should definitely bring some water Pokémon, don’t you think, Nao?”

Now, the word _Pokémon_ had the distinctive quality of turning the six-year old into an ever louder tornado.

She rejoices, asking to be put down so she can go tell the Pokémon they’re all going to the beach.

Ash trails after her, trying (and failing) to explain that they aren’t _all_ going to the beach, but when he gets to the room, she’s already climbing up Incineroar, the feline letting her with a resigned look on its face, too used to the child’s antics.

-0-

In the end, their party is a little larger than he would like, but he manages to get - mostly - water types in there, with the exceptions of Pikachu and Incineroar, that couldn’t get out of the expedition, try as it might; Go’s Vaporeon, Milotic, and Prinplup join them, too, and seem to be having a merry good time playing in the ocean, mostly over the temporary absence of their trainer, and used to Ash tending to them almost as much as Go would.

Ash is starting to feel the flight over, though, and the easy back-and-forth of the waves make him drowsy.

If he’s being honest, he hasn’t been sleeping all that well since Go left, three days ago. He seldom sleeps well these days if the blue-eyed teen isn’t next to him, it doesn’t matter how much space there is (though sharing one bunkbed proves mostly unsuccessful, but they manage), to him, what matters is to feel Go’s presence near him.

The blue eyed man has got the unique capacity to help slow down his usually busy mind, with Go there, he can actually _rest._

Admittedly, Ash feels a little lost without Go somewhere around him, and, yeah, they had managed through the distance for three years, but things have been different for a while now (good, _fantastic_ different) and…well, simply put, he’s spoiled rotten. He’s too used to having his research-fellow with him 24/7, to his attentions, his energy, his brilliance, how everyday feels like an adventure with him, now he has that, he’s not sure he can ever go without it again.

Not even for three days.

“Big brother! Look! Prinplup and I made a sandcastle!” He wakes up from his longing, alert (and guilty) of getting distracted with Naoko under his watch, though he calms considerably when he notices Incineroar never takes its eyes from her, and, much to its own dismay, assist her with the aforementioned ‘sand castle’, built dangerously close to the water.

He smiles as he gets up to join them.

Adventures with Naoko are great, too, and he’ll take as many as he can get this week.

-0-

Kukui does arrive around sundown, which coincides with dinnertime, that comes and goes over shared memories, and the catching up of the last year; The tales of Ash’s final trials with the champions, how Go and him had returned to Sakuragi Institute to solve the professor’s mystery list, Aether’s Foundation latest discoveries, Naoko’s birthday, the new house, _massive,_ comments the raven haired boy again, making Kukui laugh, _we wanted something for the whole family,_ explains the professor, raising the glass in his direction, once again making the trainer feel strangely emotional.

 _Home._ He thinks again, this is why Alola feels like home.

As the evening progresses, however, and he still has no word from his partner, the raven haired teen begins to worry.

“He hasn’t texted you yet?” Asks Burnet, as they work on the dishes.

Ash shakes his head “which is unlike him…but I guess they haven’t landed… ah, maybe I can check the airport arrivals…” but just as he gets his phone out, the doorbell rings.

“I got it!” Calls Kukui, who’s playing in the living room with Naoko and Pikachu (and Incineroar, Lycanroc, Rowlet, Prinplup, Lucario…)

“Go!” Exclaims the professor, and, before Ash can register his own movements, he’s dashing to the adjacent room.

“Alola!” Greets the teen, hugging Kukui tightly, and it’s not long before Naoko is jumping into his arms, shouting ‘big-brother’ excitedly.

He greets her with equal enthusiasm, gushing over how much she’s grown since he last saw her, and tickling her in the ribs. Naoko squeals happily, saying how much she’s missed him.

Ash feels a pang of something he can’t quite name at the scene. _Longing_ , maybe, but he isn’t sure for what.

It’s not the same as the missing he’d had that afternoon, that was him being lovesick over Go, something he was (unwillingly) familiar with. But this, this was him yearning for something he’d never even had.

Or, at least, something he didn’t have _yet._

“Are you going to say hi to me or…?” He blinks to the face in front of his, looking at him with raised eyebrow, and familiar amusement.

“Hi” he answers, dumbly, Go grins, and closes the little distance between them with a hug.

His body reacts in automatic, arms wrapping around Go’s waist easily, holding him tight, and he breathes him in where his head rests over his shoulder “Hi” he repeats, softer, happy to be holding his boy again.

“I was getting worried” he says next. He desperately wants to kiss him, but if he does, he’s not sure he’ll be able to stop.

He takes a step back instead, so they’re facing each other, mindful of their audience, fairly certain Burnet is smiling knowingly, and Kukui is nodding in paternal approval.

“I’m sorry about that, I kind of wanted to surprise you” he says, nervous hand scratching the nape of his neck.

Burnet tells him not to think much of it.

“it’s just so great to have you both here! I’m so excited!” She exclaims “Go, sweetie, are you hungry? We left some dinner for you, and for you, too, Cinderace, oh, would you like to take a shower first? I know the flight over was long, perhaps you’re too tired…”

“I think it’s best we let him unpack first, dear” interrupts Kukui, before his wife gets too carried away “Let’s see, the room next to Naoko’s is ready, there’s also the ones upstairs…”

“What are you talking about? Why another room? he’s staying with Ash, of course”

Kukui frowns at the statement “Now, honey, they’re too young to…”

“Oh, please! They’re practically adults!” Argues his wife.

We’re _literally_ adults _,_ thinks Go with a small frown, but he keeps resolutely quiet.

He exchanges a nervous look with Ash, and they both repress a smile.

“How did we work this out, in the past?” He asks.

Burnet’s response is a shrug “I can’t remember? It’s only been about a year since we got this house, so we couldn’t have given you separate rooms before…” she ponders.

“Um, if I may” Intercedes Go “I think it hadn’t been necessary, until now? Ash and I haven’t stayed together in MeleMele before, at least not overnight”

That was decidedly not true. But neither Kukui nor Burnet need to know about the nights they’d spent camping by the Ruins of Conflict, especially considering Go was disobeying strict orders not to leave Aether Paradise after dark.

“Hm, so this would be the first time…”

Kukui considers, lips pursed, turning his gaze from one boy to the other.

Burnet rolls her eyes at her husband, and asks “You two are living together now, right?”

Go blushes at the implication “Uh, yeah, we got a place in Vermillion City, close to the lab, it’s been…almost a year?” He wonders out loud, Ash nods next to him.

“Ten months” confirms the trainer, unsure as to why any of this is relevant right now. But Kukui nods along, and Burnet’s smile help calm his anxiousness, the idea of _not_ sharing a bed with Go upsetting him more than he’d like to admit.

Kukui exchanges a look with his wife, and, finally, he sighs“you’re right, honey, it’d be pointless” he agrees.

“Eh? Wait, what did we miss? What’s pointless?” Asks Ash, confused at the brief exchange.

“Nothing, nothing” Says Burnet “you can go unpack, Go, sweetie. Ash will lead you to your room” She winks at them.

“Are you sure? Is that okay with you?” Insists Go, not wanting to overstep their boundaries, no matter how bad he’d like to share the room with his boyfriend.

“Of course it is, you two” Affirms Burnett, she stands up, and levels with them, she’s practically seen them grow, and is momentarily impressed at the way they’re both a good head taller than her now “you’ve been sharing a room for a while, and I know it can be hard to sleep without your person next to you, once you’ve grown used to it” she spares a look to Kukui, who is now nodding encouragingly, and is happy to sit back and watch her lead the conversation.

“Besides, we trust you! You’re my sweet, r _espectful_ young boys, who know better than to misbehave in our home” She says, a little sternly, but without losing the sweetness in her voice.

The passive aggressiveness makes Ash shiver, but he nods and stays decidedly quiet.

“We would never betray your trust” vows Go, inclining his head in reverence. Ash mimics his move, and smiles up to his Alola parents.

“Thank you” he says. Both professors nod, he turns and grabs Go’s hand in one of his, and his suitcase in the other “come on, I’ll show you to the room, it’s so cool in here! it’s a got a whole den for the Pokémon!” He says excitedly.

Go giggles, and omits to remind him that _he knows_ , he’s already been to the house before. He’s happy to be pulled by his enthusiastic boyfriend.

Naoko follows them, the Pokémon in toll, in what looks awfully close to a parade.

Once they’re alone, Burnet throws an accusatory look to her husband

“What was your plan, exactly? Have them stay in separate rooms until they marry?”

Kukui snorts “No, no, that might be closer than we think. Actually, I was going more down the line of waiting until they were thirty…”

Burnet’s laughter warms his heart, and he joins her with a large smile.

“They’ll be fine” Soothes the white-haired researcher “We’ve got good boys” She declares.

And, well, Kukui would never argue with that.


	2. Night I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I'd like a house like this, someday…” Commented the brown-eyed teen, the aforementioned house behind them, as they spent some quiet time outside by the shore, enjoying the ocean view.  
> “it’s rather big” Replied Go, somewhat absently, entranced in the way the moon reflected on the water. 
> 
> “yeah, well, we have a lot of Pokémon, and someone insists on catching all of them, so…” 
> 
> Go shouldn’t have been so surprised at Ash picturing him as one of the inhabitants of this future-house, they didn’t speak about “the future” too often, but when they did, there was never a question that, however it looked like, they’d be together in it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alola, friends! Thanks a bunch for tuning in, night one is now up, and, plain and simple: it's a fluff fest.

“I'd like a house like this, someday…” Commented the brown-eyed teen, the aforementioned house behind them, as they spent some quiet time outside by the shore, enjoying the ocean view.

The three day separation had heaved on both of them, and they were craving some time alone to just… _be._

“it’s rather big” Replied Go, somewhat absently, entranced in the way the moon reflected on the water.

“yeah, well, we have a lot of Pokémon, and _someone_ insists on catching all of them, so…”

Go shouldn’t have been so surprised at Ash picturing him as one of the inhabitants of this future-house, they didn’t speak about “the future” too often, but when they did, there was never a question that, however it looked like, they’d be together in it.

Still, these futures they discussed were about adventures together, journeys, dreams… but a house, a house was a place, a definitive of sorts, something in the future that saw them beyondthe end of the next big adventure, the next project.

He shouldn’t have been so surprised, really, because he knew, to the core if his being, that Ash and him were the real deal, they were _it_ for each other.

He _did_ know this, but his breath caught in his throat nonetheless, and he felt a bit of wetness prickle the corners of his eyes, a shiver run down his spine at the possibility, the _almost reality_ of that future.

“You all right?” Asked the trainer, when Go hadn’t replied to his teasing “Oh, are you cold? I can go inside and fetch a blanket, I told you it’d be chilly…”

“I’m all right” He soothed, gaze still lost in the view “Don’t you dare go anywhere right now” He wanted to sound definitive, but it came out more like a plea.

Which served him just right, because, in that moment, all he wanted was to beg Ash to stay, for the night, for the rest of time, make him promise they’d have that hypothetical house someday, that they would have everything.

“Do you ever… do you think about that?” Is what he asks instead, voice small.

“What? Your Pokédex obsession?” Go rolled his eyes.

“No…I mean, do you think about the future like that? Of us, living together…”

“We already live together” Countered the trainer, making Go huff.

“Stop being so dense, you idiot” Ash chuckled beside him, threading their fingers together over the sand. “Do you think of having a house like this? Looking after our Pokémon?”

“O _h,_ yeah, I guess” his voice sounded nervous, and Go could tell he’d probably given it more thought than he wanted to let on. “don’t laugh, but I - Arceus, I’ve even…”

“Ash…?”

The raven haired man stammered through his response “Not just our Pokémon but, maybe a family? And I know our Pokémon are family! But I also like the idea of a human family, and I know we have that, too! I mean, we’ve practically been adopted here, and our parents and friends are all amazing but, uh… kids - kidsare cute, kids are _awesome_ ” he says, and the awe in his voice makes Go’s heart melt “…and we could teach them to care for Pokémon from a young age, since they’d grow surrounded by them anyways, and it’d be just _so cool._ I look at Naoko and how she was born with all these Pokémon, and she loves them so much! and they lover her, too and I - I always wanted more Pokemon around when I was kid, I could’ve known so much more by the time I got Pikachu and I just think…I just think that’d be nice. AndI think we could be good at it” He shakes his head, catching himself “I’m sure we’d be great, actually…”

There’s a bit of a pause, in which Ash realizes he’s just dumped all of these thoughts onto Go without much of a warning, and while bluntness does come with his personality package, he hasn’t necessarily asked before to his chosen life-buddy for his stance in any of these major life decisions he’s just suggested.

He feels the need to rectify, however late.

“Does that make any sense? Er, do you, um, do you know what I mean?”

 _Did anyone, ever,_ mused Go to himself - except he did, he almost always did.

“I do…”

Ash releases a sigh he didn’t know he was holding, and feels the courage to continue “Obviously, we’re years away from that” He adds “We’re both…there’s still a lot we are doing before we can take on a responsibility like that, and we’d have to slow down some, and I don’t think we’re ready for that yet, but, uh, yeah, I - I think about it… sometimes.” His voice had gone significantly lower as he spoke, as if he was confessing a secret. “it makes me happy, to think about it” he admitted, sheepishly. He’d already put himself out there, and might as well go all the way now.

Go had turned to look at him at some point during his speech, watching the moonlight reflect over his face, making his stupid-bright-brown eyes shine even more, if that was even possible.

He wanted to kiss him all over his stupid-bright-beautiful face, and scream to all the legendary forces and Pokémon in gratitude for this blunt, excitable, pure-hearted dumb-ass, he couldn’t believe he was real, _his,_ that he actually got to keep him.

He wanted for the future to be now.

But he also wanted to stretch this moment for as long as humanly possible.

“Ash?”

“Yeah? You think I’m an idiot?”

“Why, you are” Deadpanned Go, and Ash grinned, the tightness in his chest easing a little“But I want that, too” Confides the researcher “All of it. The large house, our hundreds of Pokémon all together, children…”

“A wedding, while we’re at it…”

Go laughed, and Ash followed him, easily.

“Is that your way of proposing, Ash Ketchum?”

“Nah, the setting’s romantic and all but, when _I do_ propose, you won’t see it coming” he said, cooly.

He turned sideways, and was now staring right into Go’s eyes, his own glinting with joy, and the comfort that only comes from years of loving someone, from the certainty that you would love them for the years to come.

“Maybe I’ll propose first” Hinted the researcher.

“Nuh-uh, I won’t lose to you on this one”

“Neither of us would be really losing…”

“Hush, you know what I mean” Said Ash with finality.

 _I do,_ thought Go, right before grabbing the trainer by his hair, pulling him in to kiss all over his stupidly beautiful face once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My country legalized same-sex marriage today, and I am over-the-mooooooon, two lovely boys in love is part of my celebration <3 Hope you enjoyed this, thank you kindly for the support!


	3. Day II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How did you… how did you know? That you liked boys, I mean? Did you always know?”   
> “Honestly?” He drawled “I didn’t think much about it. I still don’t” he said, with a little laugh “It’s just… I knew he was my best friend, but I also knew I felt something for him I hadn’t before with anyone else. It wasn’t about whether he was a boy, or a girl, or neither, it was just: Go. He’s just… it. He’s…my person”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello - thank you for tuning in! this chapter is quite dialogue heavy, and it features the boys playing Dr. Love... they are not too great at it.

One of the best things about this visit to Alola was not only that they would be together, but also that they would have time to be with their friends, not rushing through lunches in between work, moving from island to island, or, in Go’s case, mostly locked away in Aether Paradise.

They could enjoy uninterrupted hours of Sophocles’ fact-spitting, Kiawe’s fiery energy, Lillie’s kindness, Mallow’s incredible cooking, Lana’s jokes, and even Gladion’s standoffish attitude, which had worn-off pretty quickly towards Go when he’d first started working there, bonding over their mutual love for Pokémon and science.

“Ah, but he won’t be there today” Lamented Go, as they walked towards Mallow’s family restaurant.

Ash shook his head “He’s in Poni Island right now, in the Ruins of Hope, I think? But Lillie said he and their father should be back before we leave, don’t worry, we’ll see him”

“We should go to Poni Island anyways, to visit Hapu” Suggests Go

“She’s coming here” winks the trainer “we’ve got a battle”

Go rolled his eyes, of course they would “we’re supposed to be on vacation, thickhead” they’re walking side by side, so it’s easy enough for him to playfully push the trainer.

Ash makes a scene out of it. And Go rolls his eyes again. And they continue walking.

-0-

They had the restaurant to themselves, holding a lunch party to celebrate the group’s reunion, everyone (and their Pokémon) were there, making enough noise to make the place feel fuller than normal, which was saying a lot.

Ash felt sensational, having slept well for the first time in days, and thoroughly _happy_ to be spending time with their Alola family.

They were all talking and setting up the table when he heard a soft _psst,_ and felt a pebble hit him on the back, he turned, confused, and saw Mallow motioning him to come over from the kitchen, with hurried hands and a hushed manner.

True to his curious nature, Ash approached her, quietly, all eyes were on Go at the moment anyways, as he told them about their last journey around Orange Islands.

“Hey Mallow, what’s up?” He asked, sotto voice. Mallow laughed at his antics.

“Hi!” Said his friend, brightly “I’m trying a new recipe with Poni radishes, and I want _you_ to be the first one to try it” she offered the treat, handing it over the counter in a small plate, Ash eyed it excitedly, trusting that Mallow’s recipes were always a hit.

“Thank you!” He grabbed the desert in his hand, and took a large bite off it.

But for all his excitement, he didn’t eat it in one mouthful, as Mallow would’ve expected, in fact, he ate exactly half of it “Oh, Arceus, Mallow, this is fantastic!” He exclaimed, eyes shining with delight.

“I’m glad you like it” smiled the girl, always happy for a good review. Ash continued complimenting her, and, quietly, Go approached them by the counter, eyes suspicious.

“What are you two doing?” Asked the blue-eyed boy, standing behind Ash, and looking over his shoulder at the pastry, hand easily finding its place on his partner’s hip for leverage.

“Mm, you gotta try this, it’s amazing” Replied the trainer, as he spoke, he reached his hand over his shoulder, feeding Go the other half of the treat.

Almost immediately, the researcher’s eyes light up, just like Ash’s had done seconds ago.

“Wow, it really is!” He exclaimed “You’re so talented, Mallow” he complimented, still with stars in his eyes.

“I - thank you! I’m happy you enjoy it” she repeated, a little perplexed.

She wasn’t surprised at the scene before her, per se, but she was a bit taken aback at how… _natural_ it all seemed, as if Ash always ate half of his treats, just so he could share the other half with Go.

It could be, she figured, that was the type of sweet, kind things one did for their significant other, without repairing too much on it.

“Mallow, do you need some help with that?” Asked the raven haired boy, and she was surprised for the second time in the last five minutes.

“Oh, well, I can do it, don’t worry…” she played off “this party is for you guys, you shouldn’t have to do anything”

“Nonsense” said Ash “The party is for all of us being together. Let me help, that way you can join us sooner!” His tone was as determined as ever, and even if she wanted to push it off, she couldn’t argue, she could use the help, there was only so much chopping Tsareena could do by itself.

Go piped up, his head resting over Ash’s shoulder, now both arms loosely wrapped around his waist “Mm, that’s a good idea, actually, you two do that, and I heard we need some ice? I’ll ask Lana to come with me to get some”

Mallow visibly tensed at the mention of their blue-haired friend, but if the couple noticed, they were polite enough not to mention it.

“Thank you, guys, really” she said, trying to calm down the unwanted anxiousness that accompanied Lana’s name.

“Don’t mention it” smiled Go, he squeezed Ash in his arms, and nuzzled his neck softly before releasing his grip “go make yourself useful” He teased.

His partner faked offense at the comment, and soon they were all laughing again.

They made it look so easy, she thought.

Selfishly, she wished it could be that easy for her as well.

-0-

“hey, Ash, can I ask you…?” The green haired girl hesitated, unsure of how to - or even _if -_ phrase the question.

“you can ask me anything, Mallow” replied her friend, serene, still chopping the vegetables in front of him.

“you’ve gotten really good at that” she said instead “you could hardly hold up a knife when we were younger”

Ash laughed, looking sheepish “yeah, well, since Go and I moved in together we’ve kind of had to learn, I can’t cook much, but I help with the ingredients, we make it work”

“you two are really great together” she said, pensive.

“Uh, thank you” replied Ash, and he couldn’t help the proud little smile at the compliment.

“How did you… how did you know? That you liked boys, I mean? Did you always know?” She asked suddenly, blushing furiously.

Ash stayed silent for a moment, and Mallow feared she had offended him, that was no the type of thing she should ask, of course. She was about to apologize when Ash spoke up:

“Honestly?” He drawled “I didn’t think much about it. I still don’t” he said, with a little laugh “It’s just… I knew he was my best friend, but I also knew I felt something for him I hadn’t before with anyone else. It took me a while to realize that it was, you know, _romantic,_ but when I did it just became the way I felt for him, it wasn’t about whether he was a boy, or a girl, or neither, it was just: Go.” He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning to himself“that doesn’t really answer your question, does it? I’m sorry. Let’s see… I know I love Go, if he were anything other than a boy, I’m pretty sure I’d love him still, but I guess I can’t know for sure… uh, what I _do_ know it’s that I’ve never felt this way about anyone else, and I’m pretty sure I won’t again, he’s just… _it._ He’s…my person” he said, the certainty in his words impressing Mallow.

They had really grown-up, now.

“it’s - actually, it’s the perfect answer, thank you, Ash” she said with a faint smile.

“I - uh, I know I shouldn’t meddle but, is this about Lana?” He asked, closing his eyes, bracing himself for a negative reaction.

But all he got was a tired sigh

“it’s that obvious, huh?” She asked, sounding defeated

“No! Not at all” he replied quickly “I just, I haven’t seen you all in a while, so maybe that’s why it was a little surprising, that’s it. You’re not, um, talking to each other, right? I just get this weird vibe”

To his surprise, Mallow laughed “Sorry, you’re right - it’s just, Go was always going on about how you could read ‘vibes’ and ‘auras’ from people and Pokémon, and we thought he was just being cute but, I guess he was onto something” She said, genuine mirth on her expression.

Ash only laughed along, sometimes he forgot Go had spent just as much (if no more) time with his Alola friends. _Their_ friends.

But then she sighed again, and he knew the conversation was steering back to serious

“Lana…she…confessed her feelings to me, a few weeks ago” she said, finally, it was the first time she said it out loud, and she felt as if she were just realizing what the statement meant.

“Oh…and you… don’t feel the same?” He ventured, although he was pretty _she did._

“That’s the thing, I think I do… _I know_ I do, but it’s complicated, I’m not sure I can just… _be_ with her”

“Because you don’t know if you like girls?” He asked, tracking to her previous question.

She shook her head “Something like that… I know I do like her, though! It’s just…you’re going to think I’m an asshole” Ash frowned at this, he’d never had reason to believe such thing, about any of his friends.

“I won’t” was all he said, honest. “Mallow? I’d never think that of you, all right? And Lana doesn’t think it, either, I’m sure”

The green-eyed teen nodded, realizing how much she needed to hear those words. And, _damn,_ maybe Ash did have a gift after all. She breathed in, gathering her words.

“The thing is, MeleMele is an island, Ash, _everyone_ knows each other here, tourists know the people in town by name by the end of a week, that’s how people are here, and they’re good people! I know that, too, but we’re also a traditional, _old school_ type of place and… people will talk” she muttered at last, ashamed of herself for even saying it.

Ash considered for a second, Mallow wasn’t the type to care too much for what others would think, but he could also tell there was more to it than she was telling him.

“And you’re worried you’re going to be, uh, _bashed_ for it, for being together?” He asked, not wanting to even imagine such a situation, but also, not being able to imagine it in the first place “Mallow, I don’t think the people in MeleMele would ever _…”_

 _“I know that”_ she cut, curtly “but even if they’re not direct about it, Ash, they could, I don’t know…bully the twins, sabotage the restaurant, go after my brother, hurt our Pokémon… there’s a lot of things that can be done to make us feel unwelcome without ever talking to us,and this is our _home,_ I never want to feel like that, I never want _Lana_ to feel like that, I couldn’t bare knowing she was suffering for something like this”

Ash nodded “I understand” he said “and that’s all valid, Mallow, really, you just want to keep her safe, and your family, and _her_ family, but, what about your happiness? Will you be happy, knowing how you feel about each other, and that you are not giving it a chance?”

Mallow looked at him, and Ash felt a little anxious under the intensity of her gaze, but held it. She nodded a few times, not agreeing, exactly, but in understanding.

“Did you and Go ever…did anyone ever…say anything to you?”

The trainer shrugged “Not really, I guess we’ve been lucky on that regard, people stare, sure, but we have never really minded them? - and we’ve never been followed, or attacked, or any of the awful things that happen” he said, tone sad, but then he laughed to himself, as if remembering “Go decided pretty early on that we weren’t going to let anyone get in the way of our relationship, that includes people and their opinions”

Mallow snickered as well, because Go _would_ make such an executive decision.

Ash looks back to his chopping board, frowning “Have you told Lana about this?” Mallow seemed surprised at the question.

“Told her about…?”

“Your worries, about her, and your families, does she know why you’re not talking right now?” He asked, a seriousness in his tone that Mallow didn’t recognize.

“I…no, not exactly, it all happened very quickly, we were at the beach when she told me, and I just, I freaked out, said I needed some time,and she said that was all right, that we could talk about it later. But we just…we never did, and now it’s been three weeks and things are weird and….yeah”

Ash hummed, noncommittally, he wanted to be sympathetic, and he _was,_ he understood Mallow’s concerns, but he didn’t find it right that she was keeping Lana in the dark about her concerns, that wasn’t good communication, and friends were supposed to communicate, to be honest with each other.

He wasn’t a relationship expert, per se, but he _had_ managed to keep one for almost four years now, and he knew they would’ve never gotten to that point if they hadn’t been real with each other.

Something about this whole situation wasn’t sitting well with him. At all. But he didn’t know how to fix it, either, not at the moment.

He continued dicing Poni radishes, and Mallow changed the subject to Tsareena, and how it’d been helping Oranguru run the Forest Cafe during the last Spring season. Ash played along, unsure of what else he could do.

-0-

“It sounds like you’ve been having fun” Whistles Lana, as they walk to the market to buy the ice “I bet is great, traveling with Ash like that, going on all these adventures…” she trails off, and Go can tell she’s a little sad.

“We…yeah, it’s great to be on the road with him again” he says “It’s actually not too different from where we were younger, except for the being a couple part, which isn’t all that different, either” He says, thoughtfully, making Lana laugh.

“I guess some people really are meant to be” muses the blue haired teen “I’m happy for you two, that you can be together now” she says, genuinely.

“Thank you” replies Go with a smile “I’m happy, too. That we’ve made it this far”“Of course you did! You are perfect for each other, they do say best friends make the best couples, right…”

There was a tense silence for a couple of seconds, and Go couldn’t stand it.

“Lana? Is everything all right?” He asks, voice wrapped in concern.

“Yeah, of course” she lies, Go says nothing, and nods a few times “No, I’m sorry, it’s not” she confides, her tone back to sadness.

“You want to…talk about it? You know I’m here” and Lana smiles, grateful at his tact.

The whole ice charade had actually been a bit of an excuse, because they could’ve easily asked for some to Ninetales, or Primarina. But the ambience had been tense since the morning between Lana and their green-haired friend, they were far too quiet, and unusually erratic, not talking to each other other than to ask for this or that item, which was enough of a red-flag on its own.

He and Ash had exchanged a look over their strange behavior, and silently agreed to try and find out what the hell was going on.

“Thank you, Go. It’s just… I told Mallow I had feelings for her” she says, bluntly, a faint pink covering her cheeks.

Go can’t repress a little smile “that’s, um…well, it’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it?”“what do you mean?” Asks the blue-eyed girl, surprised.

“You two, you’ve been crushing on each other for _years_ ” but Lana shakes her head, as if in disbelief, and he realizes maybe he’s read something wrong.

“I… I don’t think she feels the same way, she pretty much freaked out when I told her, said she needed time, and then she just - she’s stopped talking to me, I mean, she’s still polite and all, but it’s not the same anymore, and I don’t know how to fix it, there’s so much…distance” she sounds defeated, and Go wants to comfort her, but he’s unsure of what to say “I think I fucked up, ruined our friendship”

“I don’t think that’s true, Lana. You two are best friends, aren’t you? And best friends make it through everything” it’s what he says, speaking from experience.

“I hope you’re right” She still sounds sad, and in response Go reaches his hand and squeezes one of hers, encouragingly. She turns to look at him “You and Ash ever, uh, grew apart, like this?”

Go thinks for a moment, then sighs “Not exactly, and I don’t necessarily think you and Mallow are growing apart, by the way. …I mean we’ve had out fights over dumb, and not-so-dumb stuff, but Ash hates it when we fight, so those always end pretty quickly” he says, over a half laugh “but, to answer your question, there were times, when we were doing the long distance thing, that I would question if we would make it, if there was a point at all, because we didn’t know how long it’d be til we could be ‘together’ again, and I’d get weird, but Ash would immediately notice, like he always does when there’s something off, and he’d just…he was always _so certain_ that things would work out, and I believed him, I may have not trusted myself, or our circumstances, but I have always trusted Ash, and his conviction. He made me feel as if it’d be all right”

“That does sound like Ash” says Lana, cheer returning to her voice

“You gotta have trust, too, Lana, on yourself, and on Mallow. You two are great together, as friends or…something more, what you have is special” He says.

And Lana knows he’s right. She just doesn’t know how to _make it_ right.

-0-

When they’re back with the ice, the meal is almost ready, and Go spots Ash bringing appetizers plates from the kitchen to the table.

He immediately notices something is wrong with his trainer.

Because Ash may be able to inadvertently read auras from people and Pokémon, but Go was the only one able to get a perfect reading on Ash. A talent he was quite proud of.

“Hey” he says, approaching him, and stealing a flowery-shaped finger sandwich from the plate he’s just set on the table. Ash looks at him disapprovingly, and Go feeds him the other half to earn his complicity “What’s wrong?” He asks, not _are you all right,_ because he knows he isn’t, not _is everything okay,_ because he knows it’s not.

Ash’s façade drops quickly, but he shakes his head “Not here” he says, and Go isn’t too happy at the response “I’ll tell you later, let’s enjoy the party now”

Go wants to argue, but the trainer is looking at him with pleading eyes, and he knows better. He sighs, but nods, and Ash thanks him with smile.

The party moves on without any further halts, they laugh a lot, and reminisce a lot, and talk about their plans for the next year a lot, where they will all be for the holidays, which are nearing already.

“I think my mom’s, for Christmas” replies Ash, around a mouthful of biscuits and gravy. Next to him, Pikachu mimics his manner, cheeks puffed at the - exaggerated - amount of food. Go eyes them suspiciously, expecting either (or both) of them to choke any moment now. “she always goes overboard with the cooking” he continues, after a large gulp.

“Hm, I wonder why” Says Go sarcastically, and they all laugh “I’m sure the festival in Alola will be wonderful this year”

Kiawe nods with enthusiasm “This year we will celebrate the burning fire of Alola, mixed with the burning fire of love” he says, tears of joy in his eyes.

“Love?” Asks Ash, patting a choking Pikachu on the back. Go sighs drily at the too-typical scene, but checks the electric mouse is all right anyways.

“Don’t mind him, he recently started dating this girl from Akala Island, and all he thinks about now is love” explains Sophocles, rolling his eyes.

“Oh yeah, I remember you mentioned her. Her name is Annie?”

Kiawe’s confirmation is a booming _yes._ And he proceeds to tell everyone (for the umpteenth time, complains Sophocles) the story of how they had met by the Wela Volcano, both looking to connect with their precious island, and how literal sparks had flown between them (there was _dangerous volcanic activity_ happening, explained an alarmed Sophocles), they were meant to be, it was fate, continued the Akalan trainer ( _that_ I can’t argue, mused Sophocles, they’re equally nuts, he concluded).

Ash laughs along with his friends, but spares a look to Mallow and Lana (sitting as far from each other as the _round_ table allows), and he can’t help the tightening in his chest at their faces, both sad, avoiding each other.

But he also feels a familiar hand take hold of his under the table, waving their fingers together, when he turns, Go is offering him a sympathetic smile.

He squeezes their joined hands in response, calming them both, however momentarily.

Go probably thought he was sad as well, but, actually, he was angry, he just wasn’t too sure at _what_ exactly.

He was sure they could figure it out together, though, because if there was ever someone who could understand Ask Ketchum’s feelings, that person was Go, better than the trainer himself, most times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they weren't too together on this one, but I promise I'll make it up to you! Ch. 4 is just the two of 'em, being grossly cute and even a little handsy *cof* 
> 
> What do you all think? Will things work out between Lana and Mallow? When I was watching S&M I couldn't help but ship them a little, specially in the Ultra series when they were so supportive of each other, love that for my Alola girls. 
> 
> Anywho, thank you for reading, and for your support! all the love to you x


	4. Night II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! Thanks for tuning in, this episode is all about the boys being cute together, and even a little...ehem...

They returned to the Professors’ house at night, sharing a family meal after an afternoon of battling, training, and playing by the beach.

Naoko was relentless after dinner, roping them into a game of hide-and-seek, which included _all_ of the nearly twenty Pokémon in the house, plus a helpless Kukui.

Miraculously, they found most of the players, aided by an entertained Burnet, who subtly pointed them in the right directions.

By the end, only Naoko and Rowlet remained missing _“Rowlet is probably asleep somewhere”_ Reasoned the white-haired professor “And Naoko will only appear once you admit defeat”

Which they did, loudly and repeatedly, hoping their little tornado of a sibling would show-up soon.

She returned ten minutes later, glorious, on the shoulders of an equally gloating Incineroar (Professor Kukui’s, notices Ash, and he secretly wonders how she has _both_ fire-cats so wrapped around her finger).

Thankfully, it was Naoko’s bedtime shortly after, which meant they could go to sleep as well.

Ash’s spirits had considerably improved since the lunch party, but Go could tell he was pushing his worry aside, rather than dealing with it.

“Your battle with Kiawe was fantastic” He compliments, as they run through their nighttime routine “Rowlet, your brave bird was so great!” The owl-y Pokémon boasts under his praise, and Pikachu nods its agreement, both of them jumping excitedly on the bed.

As predicted, Rowlet had fallen asleep during the game, appearing in the kitchen pantry long after the game was over. Ash found him in a quest for a night-snack, unsurprised, he quietly relocated it to their room.

“Kiawe has gotten super strong! him and Charizard almost had us on that second half” Expresses Ash, fishing for a t-shirt in his luggage.

Go’s mouth waters at the sight of a shirtless Ash, thinking he’d very much like for him to stay that way (which, forgive him, but it _has_ been almost a week). He bats the thought away quickly, though, no matter how badly he wants it, they are under oath to their Alola parents to behave.

“I knew you would win, though” Assures Go, grabbing one of his own shirts and throwing it at the trainer, it lands on his head, earning a slightly offended _hey_ “Use that one, I like seeing you in my clothes” he says, smugly.

Ash blushes, but puts the t-shirt on without complain.

Besides, if the day they’ve had is any indication, he knows the mood tonight will be more of the comforting type.

He sighed, no point in prolonging it, he knows Ash will talk when he’s ready. But he also knows when to push to kickstart the conversation.

“It sure is complicated, this whole thing between Mallow and Lana…” Commented Go, his mind returning to the earlier conversation with the blue haired girl.

Ash only hummed in response. They’d briefly talked about it on their way back to the house, considering both sides of the story.

“it’s just, so sad, they’ve been friends forever, and they’re about to lose that? It makes no sense, to risk it, or _not_ risk it, I guess…” Go sighed, a little confused.

“Hm, I feel for them, but I can’t say I understand them?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah…let’s see” Mused the trainer, pursing his lips. Go waited patiently, knowing his partner sometimes had a hard time expressing what was on his mind “I don’t think I understand what they’re going through, because I’ve…I’ve never felt like that?”

“You’ve never fallen in love with your best friend, really?” Said Go, teasing disbelief in his tone “I gotta say, I’m a little offended, Ash, kinda making me reconsidered, here”

“that’s not… don’t be an idiot, and don’t say things like that” reprimanded the brown-eyed teen, suddenly serious.

Sensing his mood change - and feeling slightly guilty about his comment - Go closed up to where Ash was sitting on their bed, placing a tentative hand on his thigh.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that” he amended, resting his forehead against Ash’s temple.

The trainer gave him a small smile “I know, but that’s just the thing, how can they not, read each other? Like we do, they have been best friends since they were kids! I don’t understand how they can’t level with each other right now”

“Lana is trying…”

“Is she, though? She’s wants an answer, and that’s fair, but did she listen to what Mallow was trying to say?”

“did you?”

“I’m not so dense anymore, Go” huffed Ash.

The researcher winced. It seemed as though he was saying all the wrong things tonight.

Ash wasn’t moody, if anything, he was as further as you could get from someone who got upset easily, that’s why it was all the more concerning when he _did_ get worked-up over something.

“Ash…” He said, helplessly. Afraid of upsetting him further.

In reply, his partner just laughed, drily, a little desperate, but considerably lightening the mood in the room.

“I’m not upset with you, baby” comforted the trainer, squeezing the hand that was still on his thigh.

“But you _are_ upset?” Ash nodded, unsure.

“I think so… I think, I’m upset at Mallow and Lana, for letting something like this get in the way of their friendship, because, no matter how in love or not they are, it should not be above all the years they’ve already shared. The adventures and the times they’ve been there for each other, It’s like they don’t even care about it, and _that_ pisses me off… that they’re being dismissive of their bond, it’s so awful” he said, eyes shining with unshed tears.

Go instinctively moved closer, accommodating them to face each other, holding both of Ash’s hands in his, prompting him to go on, because he could sense there was more.

“I just… I don’t understand it” continued Ash “and I think that’s what’s making me so mad, because if I try to put myself in their place, I…”

“Ash, we’re not them” Go felt the need to defend, realizing he couldn’t imagine it, either, if it were the case, he _couldn’t_ just not talk to Ash, or ignore him, the way their friends seemed to be doing.

“I know that, too. But even _if_ we had been. If you hadn’t returned my feelings, or we hadn’t tried to make the distance work, or, fuck… if we…if we broke up” He gulps, because thinking that _sure helps_ make him feel better _“…_ but you still would have been my best friend, despite anything, I would’ve never just…left, or stop being with you. That’s what makes no sense to me, how can they just let all that go?”

“I don’t believe they want to, if what you told me about Mallow is right, and from my conversation with Lana, I can tell they don’t want that, they just…maybe they don’t know how to move forward” He offers, and Ash considers his words “I think you should talk to them”

“But I don’t want to meddle” Whines Ash, dropping his head to Go’s chest.

“I get that, but in this case, I think you should, they need help”

“what would I even say?”

“what - exactly what you just said to me, you idiot! How they can’t let this get in the way of their friendship, how their bond is more important…they need an honest friend right now, to help them see the bigger picture”

Ash nods again, familiar determination returning to his eyes, and Go almost breathes out in relief.

“Are you feeling better?” He asks to make sure.

They had cuddled closer still, and now Go was rubbing slow circles on the back of his trainer.

“I think so, you _are_ a good listener” Compliments the trainer, softly“and you’re so good to me” he says in a breath, face buried in the crook of Go’s neck, kissing the skin tenderly.

“That’s what best friends are for” Replies the researcher, just as quietly. Ash hums.

“Thank you for being mine”

Go smiles in response, even though Ash can’t see him, face still resting in the hollow of his neck. They pause for a moment, breathing in, Ash letting the last bits of his stress subdue, comforted by the body holding him.

“I don’t think I was a very good friend today” he comments next, with a small frown “I mean, I couldn’t say anything useful to Mallow, and I didn’t even talk to Lana about it, which, I know you did, but I don’t want her to feel like I’m ignoring her, too…”

Go shakes his head “You were upset, and didn’t know how to react in the moment, it happens”

“I don’t want to have to choose a side…” Says the trainer, softly, and Go smiles at his concern.

 _Ash is so pure_ , he thinks. He’s always the strong one, the optimistic, athletic, energetic trainer that’s got the best outlet on life. And all of that holds true, still in this moment, but he also feels so mall in Go’s arms, like a child needing a hug after being scared by a storm. Ash can be like that, too, he’s only human, after all, and he sometimes thinks the trainer himself forgets that, that he can be vulnerable, and emotional, and Go will be there to hold him. Every time.

He maneuvers them again, leaning back in the bed until they’re both laying down, his boyfriend’s head resting against his chest, one of Go’s hands finding his hair, softly playing with the raven strands. Ash follows him easily, letting himself be comforted, like he’d been needing most of the day.

“Maybe you don’t have to” Ash makes a little ‘ _hm?’_ noise, and he continues “If they talk, and figure this out, you won’t have to choose a side, no one would.”

“You think they can be together? I mean, I believe they feel the same way for each other, it’s pretty obvious, but the things Mallow said…”

“Mallow is scared, Ash. And her fears are valid, but they shouldn’t…Ah, she shouldn’t let them get in the way of her happiness, nor are they an excuse for how she reacted to Lana, it’s been _three weeks_ ” He says, feeling his tone get sterner, and, recognizing that isn’t what Ash needs at the moment, he breathes out “It doesn’t matter, this can all be solved with an honest, open conversation, and that’s what we’re going to help happen, all right?” He asks, with some cheer, lightly tugging the trainer’s hair, enough to make him react.

Ash smiles against his chest, happy to hear how Go find a solution so quickly, like he always does.

“All right” He replies, on cue. He lifts his head, and props himself up on his elbows, so he can lean forward and kiss Go, like he’s been _wanting_ to do most of the day. “You’re cute” he says when they break apart, playful.

“Mm, and you’re an idiot” replies Go, with an amused smile.

Ash responds in kind, and dives in again.

The mood shifts instantly, and Go is conscious that they _shouldn’t,_ but he’s also conscious that they haven’t kissed like this in nearly four days, and that is simply unacceptable.

The next thing he registers is Ash’s tongue at the hem of his lips, asking, inviting.

And, forgive him, but he can’t resist. He opens his mouth, and they breath each other in, tongues meet, happy to dance with each other; teeth tease, biting lips, nipping jaws; hands begin to wander, under t-shirts, over heated skin, tickling, pinching, caressing, in a way they’ve spent years mastering.

The trainer, always one to push his limits, wants to find out how far lower he can get before Go kicks him out of the bed.

He starts at Go’s jawline, tracing the path with the tip of his tongue, all the way back to his partner’s earlobe, where he bites, playfully, making Go whimper, his eyes closed in frustration, torn between stopping Ash or letting him continue.

For now, it seems, he chooses to let him continue.

So Ash does, moving his wandering mouth lower, leaving open mouthed, wet kisses through the expanse of the tan neck, he nibbles in _that one_ spot he knows very well, the one that’s hardly covered by the neck of most of Go’s shirts, and, if he moves this or that way, it’ll often leave visible the mark that Ash has spent the last year refreshing over and over.

The hand resting on his back fists on his (Go’s) shirt, and he knows it must’ve been pretty hard for the researcher _not_ to moan. Pity, because he rather enjoys the sound, and he’d quite like to elicit one or two right now.

He wants to keep going, but he also wants a kiss, and he figures he can always pick up where he left, so he moves back up, facing Go again, whose eyes are still closed, and, if Ash couldn’t feel him hard, and ever-so-subtly rocking against his own body, he’d think the blue-eyed man was in pain.

“Go…” he mutters, voice low, dangerous. Go shakes his head, refusing to look up to the brown-eyes that are surely up to no good. “Go…Look at me” commands the trainer, darkly.

Well… _fuck, now_ he can’t refuse, not when Ash is using that voice, not when he can feel the desire practically oozing off him.

How had they gotten here so quickly, when not ten minutes before the trainer was acting like a scared creature, in need of comfort? And now _he_ was the vulnerable one, feeling much like a prey about to be hunted.

He peaks one eye open, and, much as he suspected, brown eyes have gone almost black, and are looking at him with a hunger that makes a shiver go down his spine. Ash smiles, momentarily, before his mouth dives in again for the type of kiss that would make him weak on the knees, were he standing right now.

He moans into the kiss, helpless, and Ash smiles against his mouth, feeling victorious. Go’s hands get lost in his hair, pulling, knowing the action alone gets his partner reeled up.

One of Ash’s hands begins to wander lower, reaching Go’s hipbone, and the tenderness of the touch, in contrast with their desperate kiss, is enough to make Go lose it.

He rocks his hips, _hard,_ and the pained grunt Ash releases tells him he’s been aching of the friction as well.

Unfortunately, the same grunt is loud enough to bring the researcher back to his senses.

 _“We can’t”_ he gasps, holding Ash by the wrist with a loose grip, to halt him. Ash whines against his mouth, frustrated, Go’s other hand moves from his hair to his chest, and he pushes him enough so they can see each other clearly.

Ash wants to protest, but the look in Go’s eyes says he’s not yielding, and he knows he’s right anyways.

So this is as far as they were getting, after all.

He turns and flops next to Go on the bed, looking up to the ceiling, willing himself to calm down, he blindly searches for Go’s hand on the mattress, finding it quickly and lacing their fingers together, he lets out a low whistle “Oh, man, we’re gonna have to think of something, though, because I can’t imagine going a whole week without…”

“You have before” Argues the researcher, interrupting him, his own breath still a little ragged.

“Not willingly!” counters the trainer “And not since we moved to Vermillion again” He reminds, and Go blushes at the truth in the statement. _Arceus,_ what does that say about them “I think it says we’re very much in love” Answers the trainer, making Go realize he’d mused the question out loud “and that we have many, many fun ways to demonstrate it” His eyebrows move in that annoying way they do when he’s being a _fucking tease._

Go wants to smack the smugness off his face, and ask Cinderace to kick him all the way into the ocean, see if that cools his head a little.

Alas, their Pokémon had all left at some point, which was probably for the best, come think of it, they shouldn’t have to witness their trainers’ shenanigans anyway.

Go laughs, openly, and Ash turns his head to see him, always a fan of watching him be happy.

“You’re an idiot” Repeats the researcher, and Ash nods his head, shamelessly “I need some water” he says next, moving to get out of the bed, only to be stopped by the hand he was just holding, pushing him back into the mattress “Ash!”

“Race you to the kitchen!” Exclaims the trainer, already dashing through the door’s threshold.

Go rolls his eyes, and groans in annoyance (which is a _painful contrast_ to the reason for their groans not five minutes ago)

Still, even knowing he’s got a completely unfair disadvantage, he jumps off the bed at record speed, and chases after his moronic boyfriend.

They end up in a play-wrestle fight that night, still a little wired, the winner pinning the loser down, and flopping down onto the body below in what becomes the way they fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this one - let me know what you think! thanks a lot for reading x


	5. Day III (Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ash, Go, do you not like each other anymore?” 
> 
> “Eh? What do you mean?!” Asks Go, nonplussed at the unprompted question. 
> 
> Ash is, surprisingly, more collected, and answers naturally: 
> 
> “Of course we like each other, we like each other loads!” He states, easy smile on his face, looking up from where he is now playing with the family’s Stoutland
> 
> “Momo, why do you think we don’t, uh, like each other?” He enquires, eyebrow raised.
> 
> “You never hold hands” It’s what she says, as if that were a sufficient reason for her assessment. 
> 
> “We don’t?” And now is Ash the surprised one, because he’s pretty sure they… “We don’t” he repeats, as if just landing on the realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves! I hope everyone is doing well, I know it's been some heavy couple of weeks for the world (a heavy year, all in all) - Personally, I've been staying away form the internet in an effort to be a little more conscious and present. 
> 
> But that still doesn't mean I've forgotten about this story! This is a short chapter, and I'm going to split it in three instead of two parts (Spoiler alert, part III has sexy times by the ocean ;o) so stay tuned if that's your cup of tea.

Ash?”

“No”

“…okay…but, Ash”

“Go, I love you and all, but just…no”

“I need to get up”

“Hm, that sounds like a _you_ problem”

“It’s actually an _us_ problem, considering you’re still on top of me”

“Oh, yeah…tough luck, buddy”

“Get off me already, idiot”

Ash didn’t move, because he could be difficult like that, and Go, who would usually shove him aside, let him be this time. They should be getting up, if they were getting to Akala Island anytime soon, which was sort of the plan.But the plan was also to take time off this week, and be together, and probably annoy each other to death (Ash’s words, not his).

And this moment checked all of those.

Pikachu, however, wasn’t aware, nor cared much about said plan. 

“Pika…Pi” Said the mouse, jumping onto their bed, pulling Ash’s cheek where his head was on Go’s chest.

“No” Murmured the trainer again, motioning with his hand for his friend to go away.

Pikachu narrowed its eyes, and planted itself more firmly on the bed, puffing its chest a little.

Go saw it coming, with sleepy, suspicious eyes, but couldn’t shake Ash off fast enough to get out.

Either way, the look of mischief in Pikachu’s eyes afterwards told him the thunderbolt was just as much for him as it had been for its trainer.

-0-

Vacation time or not, they would never turn down helping a friend in need.

And Kiawe was a _desperate_ friend in need, that day.

His parents had left the day before to meet with a new client in Ula’ula, and tasked him and Momo to take care of the farm. 

Which usually would have been all right, if it weren’t because half of their Miltank’s had escaped through a broken fence the night before, and were now scattered across the property, the entire day’s Moo-Moo Milk orders running behind.

The team was summoned quickly, even Ash and Go making it to Akala at the agreed time (thank you to Pikachu’s unorthodox alarm-clock methods, but that wasn’t here nor there).

“Kiawe, what should we do about the Tauros?” Asked Go, pointing to the bull-type Pokémon, that were, too, roaming freely across the land.

“Eh, what happened to the Tauros?” Asks the islander, face going white. He followed Go’s hand in the pointed direction, and saw that, indeed, the Tauros herd was on the loose as well. “Oh, Arceus…”

“You know what, I think we’ve got this one!” Exclaims the trainer, with a nervous smile, Go’s eyes go wide at the declaration, and he subtly shakes his head to Ash, who valiantly ignores him, knowing he’ll get an earful for it later.

Kiawe looks like he’s about to protest, but Ash beats him to it “Seriously, Go and I can take them, you go with the Miltank group” He reassures, pulling the blue-eyed teen by the forearm, nodding for him to follow.

Go sighs, but follows him, Cinderace and Lucario on their heels, having been called as support to help calm the anxious Pokémon.

“What exactly is your plan here?” Hisses Go, breaking away from Ash’s hold.

“I was hoping you’d have one…”

“ _Ash”_

“I’m kidding, of course” He amends, and Go wants to believe him “I was thinking we could ask Lucario to use aura waves, to keep them from running away, and just, push them in the direction to the fence?” He says, as they walk off in the direction of the roaming bulls.

As a plan, it’s a draft, and it misses the fixing of the broken fence that has caused this entire mess, without that, herding anything would render useless. Fortunately, they solve that, too, with the help of a couple of farm Machokes standing nearby.

Most of them, sans an elusive one that Go is two minutes away from _catching,_ if anything just to make it keep still, are in by the time Momo approaches them.

“I have 30 in Professor Oak’s lab, you sure you want another?” Says the trainer, referring to Go’s standoff with the Tauros, he’s got some humor in his voice, despite his obvious lack of breath, and the sweat that glistens his face.

Go has to look away, an unsolicited blush creeping up his face, a sweaty, out of breath Ash? His mind immediately jumps to the many ways he knows to achieve that, and that’s definitely _not helping._

He closes his eyes, mortified. They are really going to have to figure something out.

He’s about to reply, before Ash has the chance to discover his predicament and _torture him,_ as he’s sure to do, but Momo is talking to them before he’s ever thought of a word.

She’s up to no good.

“Ash, Go, do you not like each other anymore?” Is the first thing she says, looking at her brother’s friends with curious eyes, suspicion in her features.

“Eh? What do you mean?!” Asks Go, nonplussed at the unprompted question.

Ash is, surprisingly, more collected, and answers naturally:

“Of course we like each other, we like each other loads!” He states, easy smile on his face, looking up from where he is now playing with the family’s Stoutland.

Go thinks maybe he’s heard the question wrong, the Tauros had been loud, after all. Or maybe he just hadn’t understood.

“Momo, why do you think we don’t, uh, _like_ each other?” He enquires, eyebrow raised.

“You never hold hands” It’s what she says, as if that were a sufficient reason for her assessment.

“We don’t?” And now is Ash the surprised one, because he’s pretty sure they… “We don’t” he repeats, as if just landing on the realization.

They _do_ …when they’re alone, but he can see Momo’s point, just the day before, Go held his hand under the table at the restaurant, for a little while, and then again at night, when they had been in their room, and they did so, too, the other nigh at the beach, but nobody had seen them, either.

They _did_ hold hands all the time, when in bed, in their apartment, or in a meadow, where they liked to go on dates. Whenever it was just the two of them, in their bubble.

“We do…sometimes…” Defends the researcher, shaking his head “But that’s not…Momo…” He’s having a hard time getting them out of this one, because, then again, _why_ don’t they hold hands? And what does it have to do with them _liking_ each other?

“It’s pretty obvious” Explains Momo, thinking these two pseudo-adults are due a lesson in love etiquette “Kiawe and Annie always hold hands, because they’re a couple, and they love each other, and when couples love each other, they hold hands” She says, and Go’s inner scientist wants to jump in with a speech of how _correlation does not imply causation,_ but he figures it wouldn’t be of much help anyways, so he doesn’t bother.

Momo moves her index finger, accusingly “I saw you yesterday in the town, and you weren’t holding hands, and today you came to visit us, and when you were coming in, you _still_ weren’t holding hands. I even asked my big brother, and you know what he said? He said that he actually can’t remember seeing you holding hands! Like, ever!” She exclaims, alarmed.

“It’s very sad” Continues the youngling, with a disappointed air “I was rooting for you two, I thought you were going to be happy forever”

“We are! We will!” Defends Go, suddenly very alarmed as well, even though this whole argument is ridiculous in foundation.

“It’s because of the road” Says Ash, apropos of the original issue, which he hadn’t stopped turning about in his head.

“What?” Ask both teenagers, confused.

“The reason why we don’t hold hands, in public, at least” Explains Ash “Is because, since we’re always on the road, and we’re walking and stuff…we used to pull each other a lot, remember? You’d see a Pokémon, and run off to catch it, and if we were holding hands you’d pull me along, we fell down a couple of times” He says over a chuckle, lost in the memories “Or I’d be challenged to a battle out of the blue, so I’d break away from the hold too quickly, I hurt my wrist, once…” Go is frowning now, remembering, too.

“I think we just stopped doing it after a while, because it was…practical? I don’t know…It just…it fit better, with all the moving around we do” He justifies. Then he looks straight at Momo “But it doesn’t mean we don’t like each other, Momo, not at all. I assure you, we still like each other very, very much, right?” He winks at Go, conspiratorially, and the blush creeps up his cheeks again.

But that’s not where his head wants to be at the moment.

“You’re saying you can like each other, even when you don’t hold hands?” She muses, not quite computing the discovery.

“That is exactly what I’m saying” confirms the trainer “It’s not that big of a deal” He comments with a shrug “I’m sure a lot of couples don’t hold hands, but they’re still in love”

“I miss it” Says Go, surprising even himself at the declaration, and Ash looks at him with wide eyes, at a loss.

“You miss the pulling each other around?” Asks Momo, making them both chuckle, despite themselves.

“Yeah” He replies “A little, I don’t know…it was just…nice, warm” He shakes his head, not wanting to ponder any further at the issue“But Ash is right, is not a big deal, and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with us. As Ash just said, we still love each other, Momo” He reassures, and, for emphasis, he leans to his side and rests his head against the trainer’s shoulder, smiling sweetly.

Ash smiles back, eyes still somewhat nervous.

Momo releases a small “hm” noise, deep in thought, and then she snaps her fingers, the newfound knowledge making a lightbulb turn on in her head “That explains Lana and Mallow!” She exclaims.

The couple blinks.

“Lana and Mallow…?” Prompts Go, curious.

“Lana and Mallow” repeats the blue-eyed girl “they’re like, super in-love, like you two! But they never hold hands, either, and I have always thought they weren’t a couple? But if you’re saying that people can be together, and not hold hands, then it makes sense, it makes total sense!” She says, excitedly.

Ash’s eyes go wide, and he grows very still. He wants to correct her, tell her Mallow and Lana actually _aren’t_ a couple, that they’re just friends. But they aren’t even that at the moment, and the whole thing is so complicated he feels a headache starting just by thinking of it.

“I think Lana and Mallow are still working some things out, but you’re right in that they love each other a lot. You’re very perceptive, Momo” Compliments Go, smiling at her. And the girls smiles proudly.

“Thank you!” Exclaims the teen, reciprocating the smile “Oh, I was supposed to come here to get the Machokes, fellas, we need your help in the barns!” She yells, and they’re quick to jump back in action “Thanks for the chat, lovebirds” she says over a wink “You’re not so dumb after all”

“No problem” Says Go, watching her walk away with the Pokémon, then he processes the sentence “Hey!”

“She’s gone, Go” Says the trainer, rolling his eyes. “She’s, uh, she was onto something, there…”

“What, with Mallow and Lana? well, _yeah,_ we just talked about it yesterday, they’re crazy about each other, it’s just weird right now, but we’re here for that, too, remember? to help them”

Ash had actually meant the hand holding bit, not quite over Go’s comment of missing it.

He knew it was probably silly, and they _did_ hold hands, he reminded himself, quite often.

And he loved it, loved feeling Go’s hand against his, it was warm, and it made him feel calm, and safe, and happy, to know he had someone by his side.

No, to know _Go_ was by his side.

He was _so proud_ of Go, of them, of what they had.

And maybe that’s why this hand-holding business was bothering him, because he never wanted for it to be a doubt of his feelings for the researcher, of his _commitment_ to them.

Sheepishly, he admitted to himself that he could also be a bit of a possessive idiot, at times. And if Go went around life wandering without a hand holding his, someone could think he was up for grabs. _That_ he couldn’t take.

Practical or not, their hands belonged together.

“Ash? You okay? You completely zoned out on me” Go was looking at him with worried, large blue eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m good, yeah…” He responds, shaking his head, snapping out of it. They should probably talk about this, eventually. But there are more pressing issues at the moment. He smiles softly at Go, and leans in to smack a loud kiss on his cheek, startling him a little “Let’s go find Lana and Mallow, shall we?”

“Uh, now?” Asks the researcher, recovering, and raising a curious eyebrow. Just yesterday, Ash was against getting in any way involved with their friends’ relationship.

“No moment like now” Replies Ash with a wink “besides, we’re pretty much done here, maybe they still need help with the Miltank’s, let’s go” He insists, pulling Go by the hand.

He lets go quickly, though, once he is sure Go is following him, and they make their way to the rest of the group.

-0-

The Miltank’s have been successfully bounded as well, as it turns out, thanks to Sophocles’ strategic placement of Tsareena’s scent, and Primarina’s bubbles.

“Kiawe went to the house to bring some ice cream, we’ve all earned it, I think” Explained Mallow, visibly tired from spending half the morning running after nervous pink cows.

“Did you herd all the Tauros?” Asks Sophocles, serving some Poké-food to Togedemaru and Pikachu, attracting all the other Pokémon near them, including an innocent looking Lucario and a _suspicious_ Cinderace.

Go assumed at defeated stance “ _Most of them”_ he sighs. Ash pats his back comfortingly.

“Don’t worry about Bell, he’s practically impossible to catch, but he won’t run away, and he’s harmless” Reassures Momo, who had seen a bit of Go’s angry chasing of the Tauros.

“Its name is Bell?” Asks Ash, amused.

“I - I named it before I learned it was a Tauros and not a Miltank. I was very little!” she says, over an embarrassed blush.

They all laugh, and Kiawe walks out shortly after with enough ice-creams and snacks for everyone.

Go subtly elbows Ash in the ribs, nodding towards Lana and Mallow, who, although still not directly addressing each other, are now standing relatively close (a lot closer than yesterday, for sure), and don’t seem as terribly awkward as they had the entire week.

“What about a picnic, for lunch?” Proposes the green-haired girl, with a glint in her eye “Kiawe, we can help you with the MooMoo milk orders, I’m sure we can deliver everything in a couple of hours if we work together, and then maybe we can all go to Exeggutor Island!” ****

 **“** That sounds great, Mallow!” Exclaims Lana, and her friends looks somewhat surprised, as if she didn’t expect Lana to support her. She says nothing, but nods her head with a faint smile. ****

The idea immediately agrees with everyone, earning chants _“yes!”_ And _“Let’s do it!”,_ and soon everyone gets in motion again, determined to finish quickly and celebrate over another afternoon by the beach.

Ash knows they’ve missed their chance to speak to the girls, for now. But is happy to see they’re interacting again. He turns to his side, and sees Go’s eyes trained in the same direction his had just been, smiling at their friends.

He extends his hand a little, finding Go’s and intertwining their fingers together. Go doesn’t comment on it, but squeezes lightly, before dropping it and moving to help load the MooMoo milk in the boxes.

Once again, nobody witnessed the exchange. But Ash found it didn’t bother him all that much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you folks hold hands with your significant other? For me is one of the hardest things, much like Go, I run around a lot when I'm walking, and I've never fully understood why people hold hands in the first place? anyways, you bet I'm gonna make a whole thing out of it x 
> 
> Forever grateful for all your comments, kudos, and support, thanks a lot for tuning in!🧡


	6. Day III (Afternoon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Go narrowed his eyes “You see that cliff all the way up there, Ash Ketchum?” He pointed to the far point above their heads “Go there, and stay there, think of what you’ve done...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind loves, thank you for your patience! the afternoon of day III is now up, enjoy the silliness.

**“** They’re really going for it” Comments Mallow, sitting down next to the trainer, who’s been watching the fight from a probably-not-very-safe cliff since it began, a good ten minutes ago.

Ash snorts “Go’s been talking about this for weeks” He says “He chastises me for wanting to battle, but honestly, I think he insisted on this vacation just so he could train with Lana” Mallow laughs, openly, not as anxious anymore at hearing Lana’s name, or seeing her. She looks beautiful, carefree, Primarina blasting an ice beam to Vaporeon, the latter dodging the attack narrowly.

“He’s gotten really good at battling” She compliments, and Ash’s chest puffs a little with pride.

“We train often” he says with a smirk “he’s still not big on battling for competitions but, his Pokémon like it, and I think he does it for them” 

“Well, he’s gotta enjoy it, at least a little bit” if the determination in his eyes is any indication. Lana looks equally invested, her and Primarina perfectly connected in their attacks.

The rest of their group is lounging by the beach, too, the afternoon’s sun not as intense anymore, making the weather pleasant.

The silence isn’t awkward, and Mallow is still a bit too entranced in watching the battle, but Ash feels the need to break it anyways -

“Mallow…” He hesitates, but then remembers Go’s words from the night before, _they need this. “_ Mallow, you should talk to Lana” he says. Mallow doesn’t say anything, but he knows she’s listening “I know you are worried, and I know you are…scared, but that…you can’t let that get in the way of your happiness, you know. You and Lana, you are _best friends,_ you’ve got each other’s back, and this…don’t throw it away, all right? Your friendship is stronger than whatever fear you are feeling. And you can trust Lana, you _should_ trust her, she loves you, and I think you love her, too” He feels himself getting sidetracked, and chooses to end his unrehearsed babbling before he upsets her any further “Just… fuck what anyone has to say, what anyone thinks.You deserve to be happy, both of you do.” He finishes, flushing, and nervous, but also feeling like a weight is off his chest.

It isn’t _exactly_ what he’d said to Go last night, but he hopes the message has gone through.

Mallow stays quiet, and Ash’s surging relief quickly turns into dread, once again, afraid he has offended her.

When he turns to see her, apology ready on his lips, her eyes are still fixated on the encounter, but the tears trailing down her cheeks are unmissable.

“Mallow…” He grounds the moment on her name, tries to move closer, to offer some comfort, maybe hold her hand. But she beats him to it, and throws herself into his arms, shaking.

He’s about to freak out, unprepared for this reaction, and he quietly curses Go for being so far away and so focused on his battle, and for telling him to meddle, when evidently that’s the _last thing_ he should’ve done.

“You are right” she cries, his arms wrap around her, shielding her, the only thing he feels he can do at the moment, it’s what Go had done to him the night before, and it had worked wonders to calm him down “I just… I’m sorry… I just, I know you’re right, I’ve just been _so scared”_ she sniffles.

“That’s okay” he whispers “You’ve got nothing to apologize for” he soothes, and he means it.

_That’s what best friends are for._

She nods against his chest, tears still falling, pent up frustration leaving her “I am…I will speak to her, today” She decides, her voice muffled as she speaks against his chest “I can’t keep doing this, I know she’s hurting, too. I know I’m hurting us both, and that’s not fair”

Ash manages a faint smile, glad that she finally seems to be coming around, he hugs her a little longer, head resting atop of hers “It will be fine, Mallow” He promises.

And Mallow believes him. Because Ash is always saying that things will be all right.

And they are.

-0-

“What do you think it’s happening up there?” Asks Lana, looking up to the cliff, where Ash and Mallow had been sitting for a while. She was surprised when she noticed their sudden embrace.

Go follows her gaze, his mouth twitches upwards, but he keeps from smiling, lest Lana figure out they’re up to something.

They might be meddling, that doesn’t mean they have to be _obvious_ about it.

He shrugs “I don’t know. Maybe Mallow feels bad because you lost” He jokes, and Lana narrows her eyes at him.

“ _Please,_ I was going easy on you, I could tell it was your first real battle in ages” She counters.

They’re both laughing soon enough, and Lana momentarily forgets of her concern over Mallow. It was hard to distinguish them from the beach, and, as far as she was concerned, they were just hugging.

Go had shrugged it off easily, and if he wasn’t concerned about Ash, then it was probably all right.

-0-

Go motions him to come over with a look, and Ash almost falls flat-on-his-face on his haste, excited. This was a positive development, considering the way Go had treated him all afternoon.

Mallow and Lana have been away for a good half-hour now, and the trainer secretly mused on how nobody dared question their disappearance, as if they all collectively knew there had been something off with the friends for a while now.

Well, they probably _did know,_ he reasons, aside from Go and him, the rest of the Alola gang sees each other more often, and they’re just as privy of the chemistry and history between the two girls.

He sits next to Go, who’s been soaking up the afternoon for a while, ignoring everyone else’s attempt at leaving the island before it gets too dark.

“How did it go?” He asks, quietly, even thought there isn’t anyone near, his eyes fixed on the sunset.

Ash gives him a side glance, briefly wondering what’s on his mind.

He thinks for a moment how they both have busy minds, and yet, while he can hardly ever shut up with the thousands of thoughts cruising his head, in contrast, Go is quietly pensive, he will ponder on something for hours, and only voice his thoughts once he’s sure of what exactly it is he is thinking.

Ash admires that in him. And sheepishly downplays Go’s counter-compliments on his bluntness, often a result of just saying the first time that comes to his mind. But Go likes it, if anything because he never has to second-guess Ash, sometimes too honest for his own good.

“They’ll be fine” is what he finally replies. Go hums, it isn’t much of an answer, really, because Ash always says that, and it doesn’t really tell him what happened between them on the cliff.

But he lets it go, for now. They’re talking, and that’s as far as they wanted to achieve anyways, whatever happens next, they will let their friends figure for themselves.

They’re sitting next to each other, and, while not directly in contact, Go can feel that familiar warmth that only Ash is able to give him.

The silence is comfortable, but charged. They’d been dancing around each other for a part of the afternoon, Go actively avoiding him, to a degree, but for a completely different reason than that of their two girl friends.

It had started over lunch, when Ash took over the _totally unnecessary_ task of feeding him bits of the food. Go had been embarrassed, and pushed him off. Sure, they’d share bits of treats sometimes, and give the other to try from their dishes. But never actually _feed_ each other, it was too corny, and they simply weren’t like that.

Which made it all the more puzzling when the trainer offered him a forkful of pasta salad, Go eyed him suspiciously, briefly thinking that maybe he’d put something on it, but Ash rolled his eyes and insisted he just take the bite. Which he - apprehensively - did.

It wasn’t poisoned, but still quite unsettling.

Much to Go’s annoyance, he kept doing it, with finger-sandwiches, and fruit, unprompted, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The researcher could feel his face growing redder and redder with every bite he took.

Their friends didn’t comment on it, not really, just a teasing “ _cute, gross”_ from Sophocles. And a tenderness-charged look from Lillie.

Go wanted to justify and say they weren’t usually this cliché, that Ash was just being an idiot. But no one was really saying anything and, mortified as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to stop the trainer. Specially not after he figured out what Ash had been really playing at.

“what are you doing?” He hissed, turning to face his insufferable partner, only to find bright, mischievous brown eyes boring into his own “uh…”

Ash was too close, _far too close_ to be considered appropriate with the present audience. But nobody else seemed to have notice just how close they were, and that’s when he realized.

Ash had been closing up to him all throughout their meal, moving an inch with every bite, to the point that they were now nearly nose-to-nose, and one of the trainer’s arms (the one not offering him a piece of pineapple at the moment) had found a dangerous place on his back, caressing ever-so-subtly the skin right below the hem of his shirt.

“ _What are you doing?_ ” He asked again, more urgently this time.

But Ash was an idiot, and he simply smiled back, lazily, his eyes tingling in a way Go knew all too well,and knew better than to engage with at the moment.

Neither pressed further, and Go, albeit blushing, allowed him to continue feeding him until dessert was over.

He escaped immediately after, however, roping Lana into an afternoon of training, shooing Ash away when he proposed to battle the winner.

“You see that cliff all the way up there, Ash Ketchum?” He pointed to the far point above their heads “Go there, and _stay there,_ think of what you’ve done”

Ash tilted his head, pouting “I didn’t do anything!” He protested, voice full of fake-hurt. Go pinched his arm, making him yelp in _not-_ fake-pain.

“Go. Away” He commanded. And turned away himself, to escape him, but also to avoid the temptation of jumping his bones.

He might have to leave him to sleep on that cliff, he considered, a little horrified at the thought, but he couldn’t think of many more alternatives to their predicament.

Even after the training was over, Go kept a healthy distance of at least _two_ friends between them, and ran away behind imaginary voices every time Ash was in proximity.

Still, none of it was enough to miss the very distinctive stare Ash graced him with every time their eyes met. Which was far too often, because Ash’s eyes seemed to always be on him, and he couldn’t help to steal a glance every-so-often, wishing they could be doing so much more.

But right now, with the sun setting and the day almost over, he was done playing chase. He let Ash sit next to him, and even leaned into his space, until their shoulders were touching. Happy to bask into this type of intimacy.

Ash is too happy to indulge him, nuzzling gently against Go’s shoulder, and pecking him over the cloth of his shirt.

“Wanna go for a walk tonight?” He asks, keeping his voice soft.

It isn’t remotely seductive, and, still, Go can hardly repress the whimper that threatens to leave his lips.

To be fair, his voice may have been low, but the tone was nothing short of sinful. Full of unfair warmth that turned Go into a submissive pool of _yes, whatever you want-ness._

He hoped no one could see him like that, blushing and flustered over such an unassuming question.

Luckily, everyone else was otherwise occupied, packing and readying to leave.

Which was a pity, because the sunset over the ocean was positively breathtaking. And he did wish they could stay longer.

“W-Where?” Is what he replies, cursing his stutter, giving Ash an edge.

Ash hums, nonchalantly, and Go hates him a little “Mm, the beach, close to the house?”

He hopes his disappointment doesn’t show on his face, he was kind of, _maybe,_ hoping for something a little further, that could grant them some privacy.

“Oh, sure, sounds nice” He smiles, and, thinking that will do for a conversation, tries to get up, to go do something, _anything._

He just needs to put some distance between them again, because it’s becoming _unbearable,_ he wants more, and he can’t have it, and maybe he can call back his Pokémon instead, that are still out and about near the shore. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

But Ash holds him by the forearm before he can get too far, pulling him back and making him land even closer than they had been a moment before, his shoulder and part of his back resting halfway on Ash’s chest. The trainer takes advantage of the proximity, and gets dangerously close to his ear. This time there’s no missing the heat in his voice, it’s just as deep, and maybe even a little gruff, and Go relishes in the knowledge that he isn’t the only one a little - okay, _a lot -_ desperate.

“There’s this spot, by Ten Carat Hill, you ever been?” Go shakes his head, not trusting his voice at the moment, Ash’s hand closes a little harder on his arm, but his thumb caresses the available skin, the contrast feels delicious “No? You’ll see, I think you will like it” He promises.

Go plans to hold him to it.

Suddenly, the beautiful sunset isn’t as breathtaking anymore, and he’d just rather be somewhere else, having his breath taken away by Ash instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody could ever convince me that Ash Ketchum is anything short of an amazing friend, he's proven himself over and over, I stan a selfless, silly king.
> 
> I solemnly promise some action on part III, if you've been waiting for that at all, I don't know, I know I have... 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, and for your reviews! they're adored.


	7. Day III (Night)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone ask for soft boys being soft? 
> 
> Fair warning: this episode takes up the rating to M - there is a semi-explicit (?) sex scene, if that's not your cup of tea, that's totally fine! We want everyone to feel comfortable here, feel free to skip to the part where they're being soft idiots again. 
> 
> Now if you are into it, I hope it lives up to the expectation. I try to be tasteful with smut, but overly unrealistic sex makes me gag, and I steer away from writing it. 
> 
> Anyways, hope it's worth your time! thanks for tuning in! x

“Oh god, we really, _really_ shouldn’t be doing this here” Protested the blue-eyed teen. Still, he pressed impossibly closer to the body holding him.

“You got a better alternative?” Grunted his companion, panting against his neck, hands working their way up under Go’s shirt, aiming to get rid of it.

He really, _really_ didn’t. They wouldn’t dare do anything in Kukui’s and Burnet’s house (they respected them too much, and, also, it’d just be too weird). And, although they had fooled around a little the day before, nothing below the waist had happened.

He figured, if there _ever_ was a place in Alola…

For all of Ash’s teasing in the afternoon, it was clear to Go that he wouldn’t be acting on it anytime soon, at least not during dinner (which was probably for the best, but Go was getting antsy with anticipation).

They were welcomed, once again, with a warm dinner at the professors’ house, and a batch of freshly baked cookies, courtesy of a bright Naoko, who took the time to explain how each cookie resembled a Pokémon (the one that looks like Rowlet has two heads, for some reason, and the one supposed to be a Stoutland has its mustache starting at the ears, but they taste amazing, the couple eating them eagerly, paying compliments to the chef).

Kukui had gone away for the night, helping Director Oak on a ‘special mission’ in an undisclosed location, Burnet had said not to worry, but Go couldn’t help a inkling of dread at the mysteriousness of the situation, even when they were not, in any way, involved.

They would probably find their way to it, if he had learned anything from years on the road, is that he and Ash never quite mastered the ‘staying out of trouble’ skill.

The trainer excused them after dinner, claiming them to be- understandably -tired after a morning of chasing after Miltanks and Tauros, and an afternoon of battling. He not-so-subtly pulled Go along to their room.

Naoko wanted to follow, but Cinderace inadvertently got in her way, and she entertained herself with trying to pull its ears instead, Burnet chiding her to be careful.

Once they reached the room, Go was almost expecting Ash to pin him against the door and kiss him breathless (which, _shut up,_ it happened fairly often, and he couldn’t be blamed for daydreaming a little).

He didn’t though, he was a man on a mission, and began moving around the room, rummaging through both of their bags.

“Uh, what are you looking for?” He asked, when Ash scratched the back of his head with a thoughtful look.

The brown-eyed man didn’t answer, but _did_ start pulling things from Go’s luggage, carelessly throwing them on the bed.

Go protested him, but the trainer kept ignoring him, still caught in his quest. Finally, he snapped his fingers, as if in sudden realization “Ah, right! They were in my bag” 

“ _What_ was in your bag? Ash, damn it” He groaned, a little exasperated at his partner’s antics.

“Your hoodies” He finally replied, pulling out Go’s favorite red hoodie from his luggage.

The researcher didn’t even know it had been brought.

“Oh, um, thanks” he said, lamely. Ash simply smiled up to him, as if it was nothing, but Go felt fuzzy anyways.

He felt _loved._ Over a dumb hoodie that his dumb boyfriend had packed for him.

“Ah, we might need that Tauros after all” Is what Ash said next, and Go was momentarily confused “Do you have any rock or ground-type with you? Or I guess we could always use Lycanroc…” Go took a second to catch up, and eventually nodded his head, still a bit out-of-context.

“I, uh - yeah, here, I got Golem” He looked for its Poke-ball in his pocket, fishing it easily from among the others “right here” he confirmed, holding up the item.

Ash nodded “All right, bring it” He handed Go his red hoodie, and picked a navy-blue one for himself (Go was fairly sure this one belonged to him, too). He walked towards the door, grabbing Go’s hand on the way, pulling him once again. But he stopped right before opening, and fixed Go with a _look_ “It’s the _only_ Pokémon we are bringing” He stated, voice dropping dangerously low.

Go could only nod his head in understanding.

On their way back to the living room, however, he seemed to have a change of heart about his one-Pokémon-policy.

Naoko and every available Pokémon were tangled up in what seemed to be a play of chase around the common areas, but was mainly the six-year-old running after the helpless creatures, that couldn’t do much more than let themselves be captured- and cuddled -until she was satisfied.

Pikachu was currently being squished in ways it certainly _shouldn’t,_ and Ash spared it an apologetic look.

It’d be fine. Probably.

“You boys headed somewhere?” Asked Burnett, not looking up from the book in her hand.

Go froze, but Ash handled it with surprising expertise.

“Just for a walk” He replied, cool as a cucumber.

Next to him, Go bit his lip nervously, ready to be questioned. The champion squeezed his hand reassuringly, and only then Go repaired on the fact that they hadn’t untangled them.

“Don’t come back too late” She said, looking up this time, and casting a knowing gaze in Go’s direction, who could only blush in response.

 _She couldn’t know,_ thought Go. But then again, she was a mom, and she knew everything already.

“We won’t” Promised Ash.

Go took a few steps forward, only to feel his arm being yanked back when Ash didn’t follow him, he was going to break the twining of their hands, but the trainer wordlessly resisted, pressing the pads of his fingers agains’t Go’s knuckles, holding him in place.

“You should come with us, Incineroar” He mused out loud.

The giant cat couldn’t have sprinted any faster towards them, eager to get away from the little girl’s shenanigans. Ash laughed drily, and was quick to call it into its Poke-ball.

Go questioned him with a look, but the trainer shook his head.

Saying one last goodbye to Burnet and Naoko, he finally led them outside the house, and in the direction of the much-hyped Ten Carat Hill.

-0-

“Ash? What’s Golum for? And why did you bring Incineroar?” He questioned, just as they neared the entrance of the cave.

“You’ll see” Was the reply, he turned on the flashlight on his Rotomphone, and kept a solid hold on Go’s hand, as he led them easily through the darkened tunnels.

Go quietly wondered why the trainer knew his way around the place so well. He would’ve asked, but Ash was being unusually short tonight, so he probably wouldn’t get much of a response.

Golum was finally called to help them maneuver around some high rocks on their path, and they continued walking a little longer, until they reached the entrance to a hallow.

“What is this place?” Asked Go, eyes opening in marvel, fascinated by the sight before him.

There were flowers everywhere, making the place smell sweet, and the stars, shining _so bright_ right above them, where casting the perfect light to appreciate the space, but still kept an air of mystery to it, making it all the more entrancing.

Ash wrapped his arms around Go’s waist from behind, and kissed the skin behind his ear, tenderly “It’s called ‘Farthest Hollow’, I stumbled upon it…well, Pikachu and I got lost and wound up here…but, whatever…I, uh, I’ve always wanted to bring you here, I thought you might like it…” His words are soft, and interrupted by the string of kisses he’s dropping down Go’s neck, further warming the skin covered by the hoodie he’s wearing.

He wants it off.

He turns in Ash’s arms, holding the trainer’s face in his hands “It’s amazing” he says, and kisses him full on the lips, shortly “you’re amazing” he murmurs, against his mouth, letting them kiss again. And again. And again.

Until they were both panting, bodies lying on the grass, eyes shining just as bring as the night-sky filtering through.

Go wanted give in, fully commit to the sensations, but his rational side still felt the need to protest, this wasn’t exactly a private spot, and someone could walk in any second…

“It’s halfway through the evening, who’d be wandering in a cave at this hour?” Reasons Ash, paying no mind to his complains, working on unbuckling Go’s belt instead.

“ _We_ were wandering around” He counters.

Ash stops his advances for a moment, and hovers over the researcher so their eyes meet.

“That’s why Incineroar is out there, making sure to scare off any curious eyes” He explains, with more patience than he feels at the moment.

Huh, Ash had really thought of everything.

“How long have you been planning this?” He asks, eyes narrowed, and he hates himself a little because he should just _shut up already._

“Long enough” Is the reply “Shut up already” And, _yes,_ that’s a good idea. Ash’s lips falling down on his again is a good idea, too. They should keep that up.

He kisses back, giving as good as he’s getting, darting out his tongue to lick into the trainer’s mouth, moaning when it opens, allowing them to deepen the kiss.

His right hand palms Ash over the bulge in his pants, making him groan, the left one finds purchase on his hair, pulling in the way he knows will have his boyfriend desperate and inhibited soon enough.

If he isn’t already there.

“ _Go”_ And there it was, the same dark, commanding voice he’d heard the night before, the one that had hinted through in the beach that afternoon. This was Ash, unhindered, _wanting him, taking._

Go would give him anything. Everything.

“Mm?” He wasn’t too sure if Ash was actually going to say something, but he wanted to hear that voice again, so he pressed.

“Go” he repeated, raggedly, hand steadying over the researcher’s chest (now gratefully bare, tan, and ready to be marked) feeling the fastened heartbeat. The aforementioned looked up to him, expectantly, blue eyes darkened, he nodded once, consenting to whatever it was Ash wanted to ask.

But the trainer didn’t say anything else, and instead got busy with getting the rest of their clothes out of the way, starting with Go’s pants, that had become uncomfortably tight.

Ash grounds a little lower, legs on each side of Go’s calves, and he begins to unbutton the offending garment, pulling it down, along with the boxer briefs, humming in appreciation at the sight of Go’s erection.

Go feels a shiver go down his spine, anticipation building, hips thrusting forward against his will, Ash easily holding him down with a hand to his hip. Their eyes meet, brown eyes glinting wickedly at wide blue ones, and Go has a fraction of a second to register the move before he feels a warm, plump mouth enveloping him.

He moans, loudly, desperately, one of his hands shooting down to hold onto raven hair, making Ash moan in return.

The trainer sucks him down expertly, teasing the tip with his tongue, releasing soft moans at the pulling on his hair, enjoying the weight against his tongue, the way his mouth stretches to take him deeper. He moves slowly, almost teasingly, at a pace that, surely, will have Go complaining soon enough.

Ash enjoys this almost as much as if he were on the receiving end, hearing Go’s pleasured sounds fuels his own excitement, the tightness in his own pants is almost unbearable, but he does his best to ignore it for now, this is about Go, about making his boy feel good.

About making him moan like _that_ again. Over and over.

He’s momentarily distracted when, above him, the researcher releases a pained grunt, and Ash looks up, eyes glazed, he knows Go isn’t uncomfortable, but he looks like something’s on his mind. And, well, if Go is still this conscious, he’s clearly not doing good-enough a job.

He releases him with a soft _pop_ sound, tongue darting out to lick his lips, hands caressing the side of his thighs, Go’s hand, still resting on his hair, moves down to cup his face, thumb moving to swipe across his bottom lip, slick with saliva and his own fluids.

“You’re so perfect” He praises, and Ash boasts at the compliment, pressing into the palm on his cheek “I wish…” He trails off with a sigh.

There’s nothing Ash wouldn’t give him. He’d pull down the moon for a laugh, if that’s what Go wanted.

“What is it? What do you want? Anything, Go” He promises. Go shakes his head wistfully, but manages a smile.

“I wish we could go all the way, feel you inside of me” He confesses, voice small. Ash scrunches his face.

And now Go wishes he hadn’t said anything at all, because, who interrupts their partner in the middle of getting head to _complain_ of what can’t be done?

Before he can kick himself some more, however, Ash is chuckling, his reaction puzzling the other man.

“Who says we can’t?” He sounds deceivingly innocent, and now Go is the one frowning.

“Um, we don’t have any lube?” argues the researcher, but Ash is reaching into his back pocket, promptly retrieving a sachet of the precious liquid.

Go lifts an eyebrow “How _long_ have you been planning this?” He asks again.

In lieu of an answer, Ash darts up, kissing him hard, the grin on his face, and the frown on Go’s resulting in an awkward press of mouths. But Ash feels joyous nonetheless.

“Long enough” He repeats, and kisses away the protest forming in Go’s lips, he darts his tongue out, seducing him, letting him taste himself in his mouth, and, hopefully, making him forget the rest of his question.

“I presume you brought a condom as well?” Continues Go, in between fiery kisses.

He makes a face at the question. He hates condoms, thoroughly so, and is grateful they only use them sparingly.

To be fair, he hates anything that prevents him from feeling Go fully, be it distance, clothes, or annoying latex balloons.

Still, he procures two foils from within his pocket, having to reach out to the vicinity where Go had thrown his pants mere minutes before “Two, actually. I figured you wouldn’t want to deal with the tacky mess” He explains, proud smirk on his face.

Go blinks, astonished _“How long have you been planning this?”_ He hisses.

This time, Ash blushes “ _Shut up._ You had been gone for days already, and I knew it would be _impossible_ to find privacy here, and…”

The researcher silences him with a kiss, and smiles sweetly when Ash chases his lips as he pulls away.

“It’s really thoughtful of you. Thank you”

Ash chuckles again “Don’t thank me yet, let me make you feel good first” He says over a wink, positioning them for what he’s got in mind.

“I feel good right now” Admits Go, hands holding he trainer’s face, pulling him to kiss again, slowly, unhurriedly, deeply, swinging them back in the mood.

“Better, then” and is the last thing Ash says before kicking back in action.

They dance a well rehearsed choreography from there on, Go muffling his moans against Ash’s shoulder, nails scratching his back desperately, as the trainer gently opens him with his fingers, comforting him all the way through, kissing his neck, refreshing the love-bite, and whispering compliments, promising _so much more,_ praising him, because he feels _so good, baby, you’re going to feel so good, wrapped around me._

Go whimpers helplessly, and demands him to hurry up, _get on with it already,_ but Ash meets him with serious eyes, somewhat chastising, _it’s been a week, I’m not risking you getting hurt,_ he counters, making him feel so loved, and so frustrated at the same time.

Finally, torturous minutes later, Ash is satisfied with his preparations, and swiftly wraps both condoms on them, the sensation almost making Go orgasm. But he staves it off, he’s been waiting too long, now, and he plans to enjoy this till the end.

Ash has a similar idea, if the way he enters him _annoyingly_ slowly is any indication.

He bites the trainer’s shoulder, making him yelp, and thrust shallowly.

“ _Go!”_ He exclaims. The aforementioned growls into the bite mark. 

“ _Move, damn it”_ Ash snickers at his anger, frustrating him even more.

They’ve both had enough of the teasing, as it is. Ash offers him a placating kiss, and finally, _finally,_ begins thrusting his hips, deeply, at _just the right_ pace, and Go forgoes complaining, whimpering instead, and crying out when the trainer hits the right spot inside of him.

“Ash, please, _please”_ He begs, not too sure for what. But Ash understands him perfectly.

He balances in one arm, and uses his now free hand to take a hold of Go’s shaft, wincing momentarily at the feeling of the condom, but gets over it quickly, and starts moving his hands in time with his thrusts, Go presses impossibly closer, legs raised to Ash’s sides, caging them, his arms wrapping behind the trainer’s neck, pulling at the raven strands.

Ash pants against his mouth, desperate, eyes hooded with pleasure, sweat pooling at his brow. And it’s too much, his scent, his moans against his ear, the unwavering determination in his movements, and it’s all for _him._

He’s made Ash this desperate, made him feel this good, Ash is doing all of this - had prepared all of this - to make _him_ feel good.

“You’re so pretty, baby, so good for me” Praises Ash again, voice ragged, _dark,_ lost in his own pleasure.

It’s too much, and, almost without realizing it, he’s coming, shaking his head side-to-side, pleasure overcoming him.

He inadvertently pulls harder at Ash’s hair, and that seems to do it for him.

He grunts, face burying into the hollow of Go’s neck, where he lets his orgasm consume him, letting his full weight fall onto the body below his.

But Go doesn’t complain, wrapping his arms around the trembling back of his partner, clumsily kissing the top of his head a few times, still not fully back to his senses.

They don’t speak for a few minutes, catching their breath, coming down from the high with soft caresses, Ash tickling the skin of Go’s neck with butterfly kisses.

“Am I crushing you?” He asks, with a pleased little sigh that makes Go smile.

“Yes. But don’t move” Ash chuckles, lifting himself on his forearms, the blue-eyed man protesting at the loss of warmth.

Dutifully, Ash takes onto the not-so-pleasing task of cleaning them up, fetching his pants, pulling out a small plastic bag, and a couple of baby wipes. Go raises an amused eyebrow, he’d _really_ put some thought into this.

Ash flushes, and tells him to _shut up_ again, even though Go hadn’t uttered a single word. He gingerly removes the condoms, and cleans the residual mess, throwing everything in the bag.

He flops down next to Go afterwards, and motions him to get closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into his chest. He uses one of the hoodies to partially cover them, before Go begins to complain of it being too cold.

“Can I say thank you now?” Asks the researcher, and Ash’s laughter booms in the quiet of the night.

They stay a little longer, basking in the afterglow, kissing lazily, talking about the place, their day, Ash finally telling Go about what had happened on the cliff with Mallow.

Go hummed along, he’d imagined as much.

It seemed to be solved, though, with Lana and Mallow walking back to the beach just as they were ready to leave, they didn’t say or do anything in particular, but their energy felt considerably brighter, and they were smiling at each other, talking naturally again. And that was all Go and Ash could’ve asked for.

And if Ash noticed how their cheeks were flushed, their lips a little swollen, and Mallow had a few red-marks around her neck that had definitely not been there before, he decided against commenting on it.

He said it to Go, though, who had noticed it as well.

“You missed the love-bite on Lana’s collarbone” He comments.

“Why were you looking into Lana’s collarbone?” Retorts the trainer, voice reproachful.Go reminds him he’s an idiot. And Ash can’t argue back.

Eventually, he suggests they leave, Go whining against _his_ collarbone, too comfortable to move.

But it’s been at least a few hours, it’s getting colder, and they had promised not to return late.

So Go begrudgingly follows, re-dressing quickly, and wrapping himself in Ash as they’re walking out of the Hollow.

“You’re so clingy after sex” Comments the trainer, teasingly, but with so much warmth in his tone Go almost takes it as a compliment.

“You’re clingy all the time” he counters, and Ash’s shoulders shake with laughter, making Go move as well.

“Yeah” He concedes, because it’s true. He wouldn’t have them any other way.

They find Incineroar by the rocks Golem had helped them with, the beginning of the only path into the Hollow. The fire cat looks almost bored, but sits obediently in place where its trainer had instructed.

Ash thanks him for standing guard, and feeds him a few treats before calling him back into the poke-ball, Incineroar none-the-wiser as to just how important he had been to the night developments.

He doubts Go would’ve let him do anything if he’d been worried of someone walking in. And, even if he had, he probably would have rushed them through the whole thing, too stressed to really enjoy it.

Fortunately, it had worked out perfectly, and now he could enjoy a soft, satisfied Go clinging to his waist, making him feel so full of love he could _burst._

-0-

It’s almost ten pm when they return to the house, the living room lights are still on, and Naoko’s very distinctive voice is shouting at the t.v.

“Oh, late night cartoons?” Questions the trainer amusedly, as they walk in, Go still glued to his arm, considerably mellow, and - Ash suspects - a little sleepy.

Burnet looks at them with a sheepish smile “She wouldn’t go to sleep, and I tried _everything”_ She hurries to explain “One night can’t hurt” Shrugs the woman, the couple nodding sympathetically.

Go moves to sit next to Naoko, ruffling her hair lovingly, the girl quickly telling him everything about the show they are watching.

Ash silently goes into the kitchen, and returns with a glass of water, handing it to Go, who thanks him wordlessly and gulps it down at once, realizing just how thirsty he actually felt.

“That was a long walk” comments Burnet, and Go freezes, almost choking on the water.

Ash flushes slightly, but plays it off, and when had he become so _suave,_ anyways?

“It took us a while to come back, Go had never been to Ten Carat Hill, and there was a lot to explore” it isn’t exactly a lie, and Burnet doesn’t seem any more suspicious than she’d been a moment ago.

“At night, though?” She inquires, and the researcher feels like siding with her, _yeah, Ash, why at night? Why not tomorrow morning?_

“Farthest Hollow is incredible at this hour” He exclaims, the white-haired woman hums in acknowledgement.

“Ah, that is very true, and it’s rather romantic, too” She winks.

Go can’t quite believe they’re getting away with it, but wisely chooses not to press their luck.

He’s feeling drowsy, and misses the rest of the conversation, getting distracted by the cartoons on the screen and Naoko’s avid chatting of the episode playing. He was now petting Pikachu’s back, that had curled into his lap as soon as he’d sit.

He comes back to it when he hears the champion calling his name, probably not for the first time.

“Mm?” He asks, eyes droopy, Ash smiles warmly at him from across the room.

“You look five minutes away from falling asleep, go shower first” he instructs.

Go, sleepy smile on his face, nods his agreement to the idea.

He hadn’t even thought of it, but a shower sounds really good, all previous activities considered.

If it were their apartment, they would have showered together…pity.

But something to look forward to.

“I’m going to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep in there” Says Ash, as the researcher shuffles in direction to the bathroom.

Burnet raises a suspicious eyebrow “I’ll be good! Promise” she narrows her eyes, then rolls them, but finally waves her hand in dismissal.

“I trust you, Ash Ketchum” And there is no missing the warning in her voice.

He nods curtly, and trails after his slumbering friend.

Thirty minutes later, they’re wrapped in the sheets of the bed, Pikachu and Cinderace snug in the den at the end of the room. Rowlet is somewhere in there, too, and Go thinks his Vaporeon is out as well, but he’d been too sleepy to confirm it.

“Ash?” He mumbles, dozy.

The trainer could’ve sworn he was already asleep “Yeah?” He mutters, halfway gone himself.

“Thank you” He sighs, and Ash laughs into his hair, dropping a final kiss to his forehead.

“Goodnight, idiot”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might sound like a broken record, but I am truly most grateful for the support, kudos, and comments you grace me with, they fuel my soul (and this fic) thank you so very much! <3 
> 
> Stay very safe x


	8. Day IV (Day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This thing tonight…Just in how much trouble are we getting into?” He asks.
> 
> “None” smirks Go “As long as we don’t get caught”
> 
> They didn’t get caught. But he’d been wrong nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! thanks so much for your comments and kudos! Thanks for tuning in x

Alola would never be cold, at least not compared to Vermillion, where, by this time of the year, you would have to be wearing at least two layers of clothing if you wanted any business in the outside world.

In - wonderful - contrast, MeleMele was just a little chilly this time of the year, the mid-November winds blowing pleasantly during the day, temperature perfect to spend warm nights by the bonfire.

It was also the perfect weather for a battle.

Although, in Ash’s opinion, it was _always_ the perfect weather for a battle.

Gladion agreed.

“Umbreon, use shadow ball!” Exclaimed the blond trainer, his Pokémon gracefully attacking its opponent.

“Pikachu, electro-web!” Chanted the brown-eyed man.

“I feel like we’ve seen this before” Comments a raven-haired woman, handing Go a bottle of water, sitting next to him on the ground, some meters away from the battle field, the researcher thanking her with a smile.

“Every single time” Scoffs Go, drily, but his eyes are soft, and Hapu doesn’t miss how attentive he’s being on the encounter before them.

“I don’t get what’s the big deal, I’m going to beat the winner anyways” She says, and Go shares her smirk. He’s looking forward to that.

It’s funny how, even when they’ve seen all the possible variations of a battle between Gladion and Ash, they never get old. It’s never boring to watch Ash in battle, Go could do that forever and be infinitely entertained, but there is something particularly entrancing about watching him fight Gladion.

Cool, collected, courageous Gladion, who is in such perfect sync with his Pokémon, just like Ash, but uniquely himself, his attitude a cold clash to Ash’s fiery determination in battle (and in life). The differences between them and their styles never shown as beautifully as when they were wired against each other.

It was fascinating. Every time.

It was also interesting how he could never predict the end of these matches.

With every passing year, each of the rivals got stronger, their Pokémon with them, and, even when they were using their most trusted companion, like right now, it was impossible to guess who would succumb first, Pikachu and Umbreon tied in strength, in connection to their respective trainer, in their resolve to win.

It looks like Umbreon’s got them, though, Pikachu is looking tired, panting hardly every time it reaches the ground…

“Come on, Pikachu! One last push, let’s finish them!”

Ah, yes, well, he should have expected that. Tired as they probably were, it’d be uncharacteristic of Ash to battle Gladion and not exhaust every last resource.

It’s been a while since he’s seen Ash and Pikachu’s Z-moves.

“Ah, _now_ it’s getting interesting” exclaims Hapu, leaning forward, forearms resting on her crossed legs, eyes shining.

Go’s rational side is telling him they should probably move away, lest they get caught in the inevitable explosion about to happen. But most of him is too engrossed in the battle to care, and instead he copies the Kahuna’s stance, biting his lip in anticipation.

He always gets strangely nervous when Ash is in the climax of a battle, even a mostly-friendly match like this one.

He’d almost destroyed his bottom lip about a year before, when Ash had fought against Lance in the elite group trials.

The trainer threatened to pull out of the competition if he didn’t stop. _What’s the point of winning if I can’t kiss you to celebrate? Stop messing up your lips,_ he’d chided.

Go couldn’t quite beat the habit, but he’d abstained for the remaining of the events, and made sure to kiss Ash _plenty_ when he was announced among the Kanto leaders.

Ash and Pikachu win…narrowly, the electric-mouse dropping in exhaustion mere seconds after Umbreon has fainted, but holding up enough that Hapu declares them victors of the match.

So that was the case this year. Just as well, Ash got his revenge from the battle a few years back, where Gladion’s Lucario had beaten his in a fairly-even match, experience helping the former to defeat its junior.

What happens next Go knows too-well: the trainers tend to their Pokémon, ensuring they are all right, and then they close up to each other, grins lightening their sweaty, dirt covered faces, and they shake hands, firmly, looking into each other’s eyes in recognition.

If there ever was a healthy rivalry…

“All right, all right, enough with the heart-eyes, get out of the battlefield. Enjoy your five minutes, Ketchum, you’re losing the next one!” Calls Hapu.

Go snickers at her manner, always so cheeky.

Ash is coming up to him now, still grinning, and Go can’t help to smile back, proud.

“Congratulations, champion” He says, a little sarcastically, but a hundred percent sincere.

“Thank you” Replies the trainer, eyebrows rising suggestively “Do I get a victory kiss?” He requests, pursing out his lips.

Go snorts “Not a chance” Dismisses the blue-eyed man, waving his hand, shooing him away “Come back when you’ve beaten Hapu” As he speaks, he pulls an Oran berry from his bag, and offers it to Pikachu, that accepts it eagerly.

Ash frowns, and pouts, but Go doesn’t get to mock him for it, because Gladion is approaching them, too, and it’s his turn to hang out with Go, now.

“He’s with you everyday, Ash, you won’t miss him for a few hours” Says the blond man with a roll of his eyes, when he suggests him and Go head into the nearby forest for a while, they were close to an area he’d been researching recently, and was eager to share his discoveries with the blue-eyed man.

Ash protested them, pout intensifying. But neither of his friends take him seriously.

He _would_ miss him _,_ thinks Ash. He always misses Go, is too used to missing him, too familiar with the anguish that comes with it.

But he can give them a few hours, to catch up, and be the odd, nerdy friends they are when together.

For all of his rivalry with Gladion, Ash recognizes Go and the blond man to be nothing but two peas in a pod, at times too similar for their own good. Both are stubborn, determined, proud, and count with a concerning amount of confidence in themselves.

Ash likes them.

He’s happy they’ve become such good friends. And there may have been a time when that wasn’t the case…but that’s all in the past now, for the most part.

Gladion still looks at Go a little too in-awe, sometimes, as if everything he said was brilliant. And well, that might be _true_ , but Gladion shouldn’t be noticing it, let alone give it so much attention.

Only Ash can be stupidly admired at everything his boyfriend says.

He shakes his head, he’s above all that, he knows _better._ He doesn’t doubt Go’s feelings, and he knows that Gladion would never do anything untoward to them. He trusts them both, blindly.

Still…

“Hey! Ash! Ready to get your butt kicked by this young Kahuna?” Challenges Hapu, and he snaps out of memory lane. It was a dangerous path to be following, anyways.

He looks up to Hapu, brown eyes narrowing with determination “You wish!” He calls, turning his hat backwards, firing up for his next battle.

“We’ll meet you back in town for lunch” Says Go, just as he’s recruiting Lycanroc to fight.

Ash frowns again, so Go wouldn’t stay for this battle, after all.

He sighs, a little disappointed, but smiling softly to his partner “Yeah, we’ll see you at Mallow’s restaurant”

Go nods, smiling back, and, just before turning to leave with Gladion, he leans into Ash’s space, so only he can hear what is whispered next “You better win, wouldn’t want you to miss out on that kiss”

Promptly, Ash blushes.

Seemingly satisfied with the reaction, Go smirks, and pokes the trainer’s chest playfully, winking at him before turning around and catching up to Gladion, who’s already at the clearing before the deeper side of the woods.

“Ash!” Calls Hapu again, getting impatient.

He snaps out of it “Coming!” He yells back, sparing one last look in the direction Go had just left, ready to take his battle seriously.

Mindful of the prize, there’s no way he’s losing this round.

-0-

“You two really did all that?” Asks the researcher, fascinated.

Gladion nods, proudly “You know my father, he’d been living with them for so long, almost made it seem too easy” He explains, happy to find Go was interested in his most recent adventure, it was seldom that he got to discuss ultra-wormholes exploration with someone who shared his passion for the topic.

Well, someone who was his same age, and who didn’t work in Aether Foundation, and wasn’t a direct relative…

The truth was, he was happy Go and him still had things in common, even when they weren’t working together anymore.

“You two are awesome” Compliments Go, making Gladion blush at the sincerity “I miss the cross-dimensional travel, sometimes” He admits, a little wistfully.

Gladion chuckles, amused at how much he can identify with such a sentence “It’s hard to leave it, once you’ve been doing for so long” He says.

And, man, had they been on it for a while.

For nearly three years, nonstop, they dedicated their lives to unraveling the deepest mysteries of ultra-wormholes in Alola, the Pokémon residing in each alternate world, and their behaviors, learning from them, sharing with them, _living_ with them.

It was the dream job, endless knowledge to collect, infinite experiments to perform, uncountable new worlds to explore.

He and Go were the perfect team, both equally fascinated by the Pokémon world, both equally thirsty for knowledge, for a challenge, for disentangling all the new mysteries these worlds presented. They were well-tuned with each other, too, and got along great easily.

Gladion, truly, couldn’t have chosen a better research partner to explore the multi-verses with…

That is why he had been all the more astonished when, after two and half years of adventures, of being a _team,_ Go announced he would be leaving the Aether Foundation.

Worse, even, he’d been leaving Alola.

“You’re going back to Vermillion?” He had asked, disbelief in his tone, he knew that Go’s internship at the foundation was - technically - ending soon, but he had also spoken with his mother about it, practically begging her to extend the contract, to offer the young researcher a full time position. It’s not like he hadn’t earned it.

But Go had gracefully rejected it. Pointing it was time for him to move on.

“I…Gladion, I love it here, you know I do, and I love working with you!” Had explained a nervous Go “I will never forget any of our adventures, or what we’ve learned. But I can’t…this is something I have to do, it finally seems like it’s falling into place and I… I can’t let the chance slip”

Gladion was about to ask just what the hell was he talking about, it wasn’t as if he had some great reason to return to Kanto, why was he suddenly so hell-bent on it…?

And then it landed on him.

“He’s going back, too” Was all he said, and Go didn’t have to reply for him to know he’d been right.

“He’s got one final trial with the champions in a month, and then…that’s it, he’ll be allowed to leave the Island” Explained Go, though Gladion really didn’t need to hear it. “Professor Sakuragi offered the both of us a job in the Institute and…it would be stupid, to turn it down, with how long we’ve waited for a chance like this”

And Gladion understood, how could he not, he’d known about them from the beginning, and had secretly admired their strength in attempting a relationship with such great distance between them, specially one that was just starting.

He’d seen Go pine over their common friend for _years._ He’d seem him sad, when he wouldn’t hear from Ash for weeks; jumping up with joy, when he’d get as much as a letter from the trainer, a text message, anything, really, that would let Go know he was still in his thoughts, that he was missed.

He’d also seen him angry, when months went by and their plans to see each other were interrupted by some _stupid_ eventuality; seen him throw his phone against a wall, when the connection would break in the middle of a call; seen him cry bitter, frustrated tears, quietly, when he thought no one was watching him.

But Gladion couldn’t quite look away. He cared about Go, had grown fond of him very quickly, and had a desperate, almost irrational drive to make sure he was all right, to see him happy, enjoying himself.

He wasn’t stupid, well, not _that_ stupid. It had taken him about a year - and a painfully awkward conversation with Lillie - to realize he had developed feelings for his research-fellow.

It took him about two minutes to realize it was a huge mistake. Not to mention a tremendous inconvenience.

He shoved them down quickly, pushing these unnecessary feelings to the the furthest, darkest corners of his mind, to never be visited.

So that was that, Go pining over Ash, and Gladion pining over Go. Pathetic, really, because Go wasn’t giving up on Ash, and Ash wasn’t giving up on Go, that much was obvious.

He’d seen them together, too, on a couple of occasions, and could perfectly understand the why.

They were _made_ for each other. Anyone who spent as much as five minutes with the two of them could swear to it.

Gladion could swear to it. And would never do anything to jeopardize their relationship.

He never talked about it, never let it show, and everyone else was oblivious to his affections, everyone but Lillie, who was under oath not to reveal anything. She wouldn’t have anyways, understanding his predicament a little too well.

That is why it was probably for the best that Go was moving back to Kanto. With Ash. The person he belonged with.

It had been selfish of him to try and keep Go any longer. And he was a better friend than that.

That day, he swallowed back the lump in his throat, and procured his most sincere smile to his blue-eyed friend, telling him that he was right, he couldn’t let the chance slip away.

In the almost-one-year since Go had been gone, Gladion had mostly gotten over his crush, the distance doing much good in helping him part with his unrequited feelings.

When he saw him again that morning, walking next to Ash, and looking so _bright,_ all tan skin, impossibly beautiful blue-eyes, and face-splitting smile, he felt nothing but a giant wave of relief, and couldn’t help to reciprocate it with his own joy, truly happy to see his friends again, to see they were doing well, and to know that, even when they hadn’t seen each other for so long, it felt as if nothing had changed between them.

He didn’t think he would ever quite be completely over his admiration for the blue-eyed man, but he could live with that, admiration was part of friendship, too. And he planned to enjoy his friendship with Go for many, many years yet to come.

“You know…” Begins Gladion, as Go is taking a picture of a sleeping Bewear in the wild “Father and I stumbled upon a potential ultra-wormhole on this last trip, we told mother about it, and I think Professor Kukui and Director Oak were looking into it…”

Technically, this is confidential information, but, _technically,_ Go is still a member of the Aether Foundation, thanks to his creative tinkering with the organization’s database.

His mother wouldn’t mind. Probably.

Go’s eyes widen in realization “That’s what Professor Kukui was doing last night!” He exclaims, and when he turns to look at Gladion, the blond can’t help to feel a little nervous under his gaze “That means you know where it is…” hints Go, eyes shining with mischief.

“Well, _yeah,_ but we can’t go there” He’s quick to explain, getting an idea of where Go’s mind is headed “…At least not during the day” He says, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

Go grins shamelessly.

“So?” He asks, prompting his friend to continue.

It wouldn’t be the first time… hell, it wouldn’t even be the _tenth_ time they break into one of the foundation’s ‘top-secret, high security’ projects.

Gladion is a little too eager to tell him the plan, Go immediately joining him in the plotting of what promises to be a rather entertaining night.

-0-

The researcher practically melts in Ash’s arms as soon as they meet in the restaurant.

The trainer is grimy, and his scent is musk with sweat, but Go cares none for that, nor does he care for their friends being right there, able to see him be painfully clingy to his boyfriend.

Truly, he cares for nothing that isn’t basking in the comfort of familiar arms wrapping around his waist, and Ash’s playful murmur against his neck of _I beat Hapu, you know, and I believe you owe me something now._

Go laughs, delighted, promising a quiet _later_ to the trainer’s ear, and doesn’t miss the goosebumps that break across his trainer’s skin. He loves this responsiveness, and he _might_ still be riding last night’s high, a little bit.

He can’t be blamed, it was probably the only time they would manage some privacy until they were back in Kanto.

But for the rest of the week, this could be enough. Just kind, quality time with his best-friend, and all of their Alola friends and family. He couldn’t ask for more, really.

Ash comments on his giddy mood, a little suspicious, knowing him too well for his own benefit, and Go grins that Cheshire smile again, the one that tells Ash he’s up to no good.

“There is… a thing, tonight” He replies, cryptically, making Ash even _more_ suspicious “Gladion has all the details. I’m hoping you’ll join?” He asks, but it isn’t really a question, because he had roped Ash into the plan as soon as they’d begin to plot it.

It’s not like Ash would say no to an adventure.

The champion blinks a few times, nodding doubtfully. Whatever it was, there was no chance he’d let Go wander into some random quest at night, alone with Gladion.

He trusted his friends, but he wasn’t an _idiot._

Well, he was a different type of idiot. The irrationally-jealous-type.

“Hey…did you notice?” Is the next thing Go says, nodding in the direction of their friends.

He smiles when he understands what Go meant “Yeah, Sophocles says they’ve been like that all morning”

 _Like that_ is Lana and Mallow holding hands, Lana and Mallow laughing with each other, freely, happily, helping one another with the lunch preparations, Primarina and Tsareena playing together, like they hadn’t been able to for weeks.

 _Like that_ is exactly what they’d been hoping for their friends, and they are couldn’t feel happier to know it had worked out for the best.

“This thing tonight…” Says Ash, focusing his eyes on Gladion for a second, who’s engrossed in a conversation with his sister and Kiawe, the latter gesticulating broadly with his hands “Just in how much trouble are we getting into?” He asks.

“None” smirks Go “As long as we don’t get caught”

They didn’t get caught. But he’d been wrong nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladion and Go are besties, I have decided. I know everyone thinks Gladion has a big crush on Ash, and he probably did, but then he met Go and nothing was the same again (? 
> 
> Anyone has any thoughts on what kind of trouble the boys will be getting into? we're nearing the end of this fic, and I'd love to hear your thoughts! - thanks a lot for reading, I love love looooooove to see your support, it motivates me like crazy x


	9. Night IV (Evening)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loveys - I seriously wrestled with this chapter, and in the end I really love it, but turned out to be soooooo long, I didn't know if I should post the whole thing or just break it in parts. 
> 
> I figured it makes more sense as two separate chapters, as they're different moments in the night anyway, but, since I hate to leave you waiting, I'm posting both of them at once! that's how much I adore y'all. 
> 
> Thank you for tuning in! x

That evening when they return to the house, Ash _does_ pin Go against the bedroom door, kissing him senseless, reclaiming his much-awaited prize for the day’s accomplishments.

“Have you been biting your lip?” He reprimands, frowning slightly, and pulling away from the kiss they’d just been sharing.

Go chases his mouth with a pout, but Ash has gotten out of reach, and has a no-nonsense expression on his face.

Shit.

“No” He lies, Ash’s frown deepening “Well, a little, during your battle with Gladion this morning” He admits, pink tainting his cheeks.

“I’ve told you not to do that” Sighs the trainer, hand reaching out to caress Go’s face, thumb tracing softy over the swollen bottom lip “I’m almost happy you weren’t there for the fight with Hapu, we were really close” he comments, but Go shakes his head.

“I knew you’d win” He affirms.

“But you didn’t when I was battling Gladion?” Questions the trainer, and Go finds himself positively caught, inadvertently catching his lip between his teeth again. Ash tuts at him, and hisses an irritated “ _stop_ ”

“I’m sorry!” Go’s eyes cast low, and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. They taste like that stupid honey lip-balm Ash is always putting on, and he can feel the raspiness caused by his self-inflicted abuse.

Ash doesn’t sound upset, but he’s definitely annoyed.

“I’m always cheering for you, of course” He explains, and Ash nods, they both know this “And on most of your battles, I am certain that you’ll win…but when you’re battling Gladion, I can’t…I can’t know for sure? You’re both _so strong,_ more and more every time, I never know how it’s going to end, and I just…even when it is a friendly match, it’s hard not to get emotional in it” It still doesn’t justify the unnecessary mauling to his lip, but he hopes Ash can understand where he’s coming from.=

It’s a nervous habit, it doesn’t _need_ to make sense, it’s just supposed to keep him sane during distress.

Only it happens to have the unfortunate consequence of _unnerving_ his partner. And, really, he should just stop. 

Ash hums, noncommittally.

“I guess I’ll just have to get stronger, then” He says, breaking the tension, a lot more nonchalantly than Go had expected “that way, you won’t have any doubts of the result next time, and you won’t feel the need to _hurt yourself_ ” his voice is somewhat stern, and it’s supported by equally serious eyes.

That’s funny, thinks Go, because, to him, Ash is already the strongest trainer in the world.

In the eyes of the rest of the world he is in the top twenty, and that should say something as well.

“I’m sorry” Apologizes the researcher again, not too sure for what this time. For doubting him, probably. Even thought that wasn’t exactly the case.

“All good” Replies Ash with a shrug, his voice too kind, and Go is reminded, once again, that Ash isn’t only the best trainer in the world.

He is the best _person._

 _“_ I love you” He says then, because he does, and should tell him more often.

Ash graces him with a wide, toothy smile.

“I love you” Echoes the brown-eyed man, leaning in to kiss him again, taking away his worry, his tension, and his silly nerves.

He also sucks the worried bottom lip in between his, making Go moan softly.

The absolute _best_ person. Ever.

-0-

“Seriously, we’ve got this” Repeats Ash, balancing a squirmy Naoko in one arm, waving off the adults’ concern with the other.

“Bedtime is 9:30, if she wants a snack, there are some peeled apples in the fridge, absolutely no t.v. after dinner, and…” It was a bit ironic of Burnet to be listing all the rules she’d let slip just the nigh before, but Ash knew better than to point that out. He simply smiled, nodding his understanding at all of the directions.

“Big brother! Can Pikachu stay in my room tonight?” She asks, excitedly, poking Pikachu’s cheeks playfully, where it’s perched over Ash’s left shoulder.

The Pokémon’s eyes widen in alarm, and Ash picks up on its tension immediately “Eh, we’ll see…” He replies, and Pikachu’s worried eyes turn to him, narrowing in silent protest.

“Honey, I think they know what they’re doing, Go used to look after Naoko all the time, remember? They’ll be fine” Urges Kukui, eager to get out of the house.

His wife sighs “Yeah, you are right, you are right” She says, turning to the younger couple and smiling sweetly at them “Thank you for doing this, boys, we really appreciate it”

Go shakes his head, meeting her with a smile of his own “it’s our pleasure, really, we love spending time with Naoko”

They really do. They’ve known her since she was a toddler, and she’ has always been the same energetic (read: rambunctious) little sister neither of them knew they needed, but are forever grateful to have now.

“We should be back around midnight, perhaps a little earlier” Informs Kukui, ushering his wife out of the door “Have a good night!” It’s the last thing he says, hand on the small of Burnet’s back, her own hand waving goodbye.

All right, so they were finally gone.

“Should we try dinner?” Proposes Go, who’s been working on that for the last half hour.

Naoko’s arms dart up in excitement, hitting Ash’s face on her way, and making him lose his balance, Pikachu falling helplessly to the floor, barely landing on its feet, and running away as fast as it can “Ow, sorry, big brother” she says, little pout on her face.

Ash melts “it’s all right, no harm done” it hurts like a motherfucker, but he’ll live. Go snickers from across the room, and Ash’s eyes narrow in his direction “Dinner?” He questions, raising his eyebrow.

“Right” Answers Go, sheepishly, turning around in direction to the kitchen.

It was a little too convenient that Burnet and Kukui had asked them to babysit on the same night they were planning to break into a secret Aether Foundation project. Of course, it was the same one the professors were working on that evening, hence the request for backup childcare.

They hadn’t been so forthright about their reasons, but Go figured out quickly enough, _“We’re working on a little something with Director Oak, not a big deal”_ had dismissed Kukui.

It was a big deal, if they were needing Burnet’s advanced knowledge in ultra-wormholes, it was probably a _great_ deal.

Go had spent the better part of three years under her tutelage at the Aether Foundation, and he knew Burnet was the ultimate voice-of-reason in the ultra-wormholes phenomenon, she wouldn’t have been called for nothing.

He was a little offended they thought he wouldn’t join the dots, but he figured it was for the best. That way, they would be none-the-wiser to his and Ash’s own plan.

They’d have to be quick, but with Gladion standing guard near the location in Poni Island, they would know exactly when to leave, and wouldn’t risk running into any Foundation members.

It’d be a very late night, and they’d probably spend most part of their last day quite tired, but it was worth it, in Go’s opinion, who was thrilled by the calling of adventure.

“Big brother Go, can we play hide and seek after dinner?” Asks an excited Naoko, around a mouthful of rice, dinner has been running smoothly, ash Go is happy he’s still got it when it comes to children, and, specially, Naoko.

He considers the request “Uh, sure, just don’t hide in the rooftop again, that’s dangerous” Not to mention terrifying.

“Incineroar is always with me, it wouldn’t let me fall” She says, Go isn’t sure which one she means, but he figures it doesn’t matter, they’d both jump off the roof for the child.

Hell, they’d jump into the _ocean,_ if it concerned Naoko’s safety.

“No rooftop” Supports Ash, paternal expression on his face.

She pouts, but nods “Okay…”

Go meets Ash’s eyes, silently thanking him.

Maybe they _would_ be good at this, if all it required was to keep their children from climbing on roofs.

They had succeeded in feeding her as well, rice and ration of vegetables, which is more greens than he’d managed to get Ash to eat that night.

“Mama says you spent a lot of time in an Island last year, big-brother Ash, was it Ula’ula Island? Why didn’t you visit us? I missed you, you know! Ah, we could’ve visited you!” She exclaims.

Ash is seating next to her, and it’s easy for him to pinch her cheek, affectionately “I wasn’t at Ula’ula, Nao, I was in a special island, very far from here…”

“Very far from everything…” Mutters Go, a little bitterly, and Ash looks up to him with sympathetic eyes.

“Yeah… it was really far, and I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you, I couldn’t really get out of there”

“Why not? Were there no boats? Or water Pokémon to help you?”

Ash chuckles “Oh, there were plenty of water Pokémon, a whole team of them, actually!” He says, fond memories coming to mind “I was just… I was doing some very special training, so I couldn’t really leave for a while, and people couldn’t visit me, otherwise I would’ve brought you along” he comforts, and Naoko seems content at the response.

Go isn’t, his own mind going back to that last year, which had been the hardest for them.

He’d been on the last leg of his internship, spending most of his time, if not in a different dimension, searching for one, often in the deep-ends of some unaccessible place.

Ash, on the other hand, had been personally invited by the World Champion to join on a special training camp, one full year, the world’s top 100 trainers, nothing but battling and sharing with other Pokémon leaders.

It was a dream come true for the aspiring Master, and Go had pushed him to take it immediately, determination not wavering, even after he’d heard the terms and conditions.

 _“It’s a whole year, Go”_ had said Ash on that video-call, hesitantly “ _They don’t let anyone visit, and we can’t get out, for an entire year”_

Go had felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, and a few did manage to escape, but his voice didn’t falter when he replied “ _You have to go”_ He decided.

And that was it.

In the end, they did manage to see each other once that year, in the Elite Four Kanto trials, Ash getting a special permit to leave the Champions Island for a week (It was all Lance, really, cool and influential Lance, who was too fond of Ash, and had no problems calling in a few favors, if it meant his chosen rival could battle him for the title).

Go didn’t think it twice to book the ticket to Kanto, meeting Ash at the Indigo Plateau, and even when the trainer had been too busy and stressed out with his battles, Go wouldn’t have traded that week for anything in the world, content with simply holding Ash every night, supporting him through every match during the day.

After that, they didn’t see each other again until the day Go returned to Vermillion, almost four months later.

He looks at Ash now, eyes glassy with unshed tears, he’s gotten emotional again, sillily so, over memories of a time he no-longer should think about.

But it was part of their story, and Go didn’t want to downplay that time, hard as it’d been, it had gotten them to where they were now, laid the foundations for all the trust and support that characterized their relationship, it had made them _solid._ And he wouldn’t have them any other way.

The trainer meets his eyes, a little sad, still apologetic, but offers him a small smile, full of understanding.

Go smiles back, shaking the tears away.

This is their reality now, they’ve earned it. And he plans to enjoy to the fullest.

“Big-brother Go used to come all the time” Was saying Naoko now “And he would be a cry-baby because he missed you so much” She drawls the last two words, overdramatic, making Ash laugh.

Ah, little traitor.

“I was _not”_ He defends, flushing.

Ash chuckles again, teasing now “Yeah, well, he _is_ a baby” Naoko nods her agreement, enthusiastically “He’s my baby” Musters the trainer, taking a sip of his drink, brown-eyes flirting.

Go’s blush intensifies, and he replies to the bedroom eyes with murderous ones.

“Mama said it was because he loved you, and he was sad you were so far away”

To that, he couldn’t argue.

“I missed him a lot, too” Admits Ash.

“And you love him?” Prompts Naoko, knowing grin on her chubby face, hazel eyes shining.

“And I love him” Agrees Ash “A lot” He winks to the researcher, who will no doubt make him sleep on the floor upon their return.

“That’s what Papa always said” Naoko is long done with her dinner by now, and is not-so-subtly stealing the uneaten carrots from Ash’s plate.

He pushes the plate in her direction. He didn’t want them anyways.

“Hm? What did your Papa say, Naoko?” Questions Go, still blushing, and frowning at the girl eating the only vegetable he’d hoped Ash would try.

“That you loved each other, so it was going to be fine” She responds, and neither of them can help the blush this time.

“Well, he was right” Is what Ash says. Go nods his agreement, and their eyes meet again, this time in recognition.

“Can we play hide-and-seek now?” She sounds incredibly nonchalant, oblivious to the sea of memories and emotions she’s just subjected them to, which is probably for the best.

“Yeah! Let’s do it!” Chants Ash, turning into a six year old himself.

Go laughs at their antics, and gets up to start picking up the dishes.

Ash stops him “Leave it” he says “We can do them later”

And, yeah, they can.

For now, and until 21:30 (which is bittersweetly nearing), they belong to Naoko.

They all meet in the living-room, where their Pokémon army was, too, done with dinner, and had taken to nap in an oddly shaped pile, with Pikachu, Rowlet and Munchlax resting their heads to Lycanroc’s side, the larger canine resting against Ash’s Incineroar, that in turn had one of its arms wrapped around Cinderace’s shoulders, the other one holding Vaporeon as if it werea teddy-bear.

“Wake up!” Calls Naoko, terrifying half of them to death, but successfully waking them up; Munchlax and Incineroar wake up slowly, with a sigh, unsurprised at the screaming, or Naoko’s jumping on top of the pile, into Incineroar’s arms, that looks down to her patiently, but endeared.

Rowlet sleeps through it all.

A startled Pikachu runs into Ash’s arms, Cinderace and Vaporeon hiding behind Go’s legs, beginning to question their safety in this house, large and pretty as it is.

“It’s all right, guys. She’s just playing, see?” Points Go, to where Naoko is holding Rowlet over her head, shaking it from side to side.

And, no, Cinderace isn’t having any of this, and it sets to leave to the trainers’ room, away from the shenanigans.

Ash gets in its way before it can get too far, a warning look on his face.

“Stay, or I’ll tell Go about what happened in the restaurant the other day” _He_ _wouldn’t,_ but the mere idea that he _might_ is enough to make the fire hare reconsider.

Cinderace frowns up to the trainer, planning revenge, and Ash gulps under its gaze, nervous but unyielding.

“Come on, you two, hide! Naoko is already counting” Pushes Go, nodding in the direction he’s going.

“Are we hiding in pairs?” Asks Ash, as he sees the rest of the Pokémon make a run for in in couples, Rowlet and Incineroar, Lycanroc and Munchlax, Vaporeon still tucked next to Go.

“Yeah, otherwise a single game would take hours” explains Go “you three can go together” Pikachu is small enough, anyways.

Cinderace looks at Ash again and scoffs, shaking its head to the side.

“Did you fight again?” Reproaches Go to his boyfriend, looking between him and his companion.

“No” Replies Ash, a little too quickly for Go to buy it.

But he can’t really deal with them right now.

“Right - just…hide” He repeats, and leaves to do the same himself, Vaporeon’s elegant steps following.

“You heard the man” Sighs Ash. Cinderace isn’t too happy at the set-up, but follows down the hall, and points to the ceiling, when it notices the trainer is at a loss of where to hide.

“No, no, we can’t go there, we told Naoko she couldn’t, and it wouldn’t be a good example” Says the trainer, Cinderace rolls its eyes, and nods for him to suggest anything better.

“Pika - chu?” Suggests the little mouse.

“Uh…ah…” They were going to get caught at this rate, and Cinderace points to the ceiling again, getting desperate “Not the ceiling but…the attic! Let’s go to the attic”

It’s three floors up, and probably the last place Naoko will think of searching in.

They’re the first ones down.

Lycanroc and Muchlax follow, their hiding behind a tree on the indoor garden proving not so great, when Munchlax had taken a liking for some of the lying fruit, his crunching sounds easy to spot for the bright Naoko.

Incineroar (and a sleeping Rowlet, perched on its shoulder) are caught hiding in the broom closet upstairs, a very tight fit for the fire cat, that is over-joyous to be out, and no longer in the competition.

Go and Vaporeon get caught on the porch outside, almost thirty minutes later, with the blue-eyed man freezing half to death. Ash rolls his eyes to him, and affectionally calls him an idiot under his breath, giving him the hoodie he’d been wearing.

They manage two more games before bedtime, Naoko coming on top on every-single-one.

Ash can sense a bit of a pattern, in the way Incineroar always hides somewhere a bit-too-obvious to be found, and how Lycanroc always leaves some body-part visible, usually its tail, so it’s easy for the child to spot them.

But Go and him _do_ try to hide for real, and are still found with little-to-no difficulty, So Ash has to reason Naoko is really good at this game either way. When it’s her turn to hide, they never find her, and have to scream high-and-low for her and Incineroar to _please, come back, oh mighty empress of the hide-and-seek-game…_

Getting her to sleep is another adventure altogether; she demands both of them sit with her in bed, and read her a book.

_Which book, Naoko?, the one with Mama on it!_

Much to Ash’s surprise, there is a number of children books published by the Aether Foundation, highlighting the wonders of the Pokémon world, and the great work that is done in the organization to keep them protected. Professor Burnet, as it turns out, appears in various of them, her animation eerily accurate for a children’s book.

“Hey, check it out, Lillie appears as one of the authors on these! How awesome!” Exclaims Ash.

“I helped choose the pictures on those two” Comments a proud Naoko.

“I remember she started this project a few years back” Says Go, Naoko cuddling up to him where he sits on the bed, book co-written by Lillie now in his hands “She wanted for children to connect with Pokémon from an early age, even if they couldn’t interact with them all the time” it had been a noble reason, and Lillie had been genuinely invested in it, like she’d seldom been on the Foundation’s ventures.

“This one is my favorite” Says Naoko, pointing to the book Go is about to read her.

It’s really good, in Ash’s humble opinion, it’s funny, and engaging, and Go teases him for getting a little _too into it,_ reminding him that it’s a children’s book. _It’s a really good children’s book,_ he argues. And Go has to agree, they ought to make sure to compliment their blonde friend for it.

“You will be here in the morning, right, big-brother-Go?” Asks a sleepy Naoko, her eyes clearly struggling to stay open.

“Of course we will, Nao” He replies, ruffling her hair, making sure she’s tucked in.

“Good, I wish you would stay forever” it’s a sleepy murmur, but they both catch it, and it makes their hearts swell.

“Maybe one day” Replies Ash, just as quiet.

Go doesn’t comment on it, but agrees, and saves it for _the future._

“Gladion texted me” He says, once they’re out of Naoko’s room “Kukui and Burnet have been there for a while, Director Oak, too, but he’s a too far to hear what they’re talking about”

Ash nods “that’s all right, as long as he doesn’t get caught” He’s feeling less and less on board with this plan every minute, he’d just rather stay in, and cuddle his boyfriend until they both feel like sleeping. _He_ feels like sleeping “It’ll still be a while, then…”

“Yeah, seems like it” Sighs Go.

Ash wriggles his eyebrows, suggestively, and the blue-eyed man pushes him away with a scoff “Come on, we gotta finish the dishes”

After all the clean-up, they wind out making out on the couch, lazily, Ash laying on top of Go, the latter drawing patterns up the trainer’s back, and messing up his hair beyond repair.

The T.V. hums on the background, Pikachu and Cinderace engrossed in some odd horror movie that isn’t all that scary.

They don’t mean to fall asleep, but the day’s activities take a toll on them, and their eyes close against their will. Ash’s head resting on Go’s chest, their legs entangled on the couch.

Go is brought back to life by a gentle prodding on his shoulder, Burnet’s lively hazel eyes smiling at them.

“Hi, sweetie” She whispers “You may want to move from the couch, can’t be comfortable to spend the whole night there”

“I can confirm that” Laughs Kukui, standing behind her. Burnet turns to give him a daring raised eyebrow.

Go wakes up slowly, and doesn’t have it in him (at the moment) to feel embarrassed for the way they’ve been found, Ash still deep in slumber.

“Hey, wake up” He prompts, a hand to his hair, pulling softly.

Ash groans, but makes no effort to move.

“This might take a while” sighs Go, much to his adoptive-parents amused delight.

“Very cute” Comments Burnet, standing up to let her husband take off her coat.

“Ash, get up, you idiot” He tries again. Pikachu, that had been napping on the floor next to Cinderace, jumps on its trainer’s back, and suggests a wake-up method “ _No, no, don’_ t _you dare_. I’m still trapped under here” He stops, alarmed.

Pikachu pouts, it would have only been a _little_ electrocution, no need to be so dramatic.

Cinderace proposes a double-kick, which Go declines as well. It had been hard enough to beat that habit the first time around.

Instead, Go shakes him some more, seriously considering just tossing him aside, and letting him hit the floor.

Alas, he likes him too much.

Finally, Ash begins to stir in his arms, nuzzling his face against Go’s chest, grumbling childishly.

“Is it tomorrow?” He asks, confused, and Go laughs against the top of his head.

“No, well… _technically,_ it’s midnight” Replies the researcher, looking at his phone, there are at least six messages from Gladion, and two missed calls.

Fuck.

“We should - ”

“Pretend we’re going to bed so we can sneak out quietly when they’re unsuspecting?” Completes Ash

“Where did you learn that word?” Retorts Go, impressed, and Ash fulminates him with a gaze, pushing his hands against Go’s chest a bit stronger than necessary as he gets up.

“How did it go?” Asks Kukui, once he sees they’re both conscious.

“She’s awesome” replies Ash, excitedly, stretching his arms overhead, narrating their hide-and-seek games, and complimenting the Aether Foundation books.

“She loves those” Comments Burnet, a little embarrassed at the praise of her appearance on them. “Tired you up pretty bad, huh?”

Sheepishly, they admit to it, even when it was close to bedtime, Naoko had been hard to persuade into brushing her teeth and getting into her pajamas, and Ash could really understand now why Burnet had just given up the night before.

Still, he’s glad they succeeded in their mission of looking after her, even if it’d been only for one evening. He was quite admired Burnet and Kukui had been doing so for six whole years.

“It’s quite the adventure, you’ll see someday” Winks Burnet, when he voices these thoughts.

The implication makes him blush, but it also makes him feel excited at the idea that, someday, it might be his ( _their)_ daughter, the one he puts to bed every night. He shakes it away before he can get too sentimental, though, and quietly saves it to torture Go with it later, when he’s feeling sappy.

“Well…” Starts Go, patting his hands against his thighs as he stands “You must be very tired as well, we’ll leave you to rest” He says around a fake-yawn, that Ash is sure nobody buys into.

Luckily, the professors don’t ask many questions, evidently weary. They say their goodnights, and head into their room, keeping an ear out for the moment they can hear the adults turn off all the lights and finally go to sleep themselves.

“Gladion is waiting, says everyone is gone, place is clear” Informs Go, zipping up his hoodie, readying his backpack.

“We’ll need Dragonite to get there, and Lucario, maybe?”

Go shrugs “Anything you want, I don’t think we’ll be needing them so much, though, we’re just going to check out the place, not battle it”

Ash brings Lucario anyways, and Pikachu, and Rowlet, because he feels like it.

Go settles on Cinderace, and Vaporeon joins, because it has been particularly attached to its trainer lately, and Go has no problem in indulging it.

“Ready?” He asks to his boyfriend.

Ash… isn’t feeling it, if he’s being honest. He doesn’t feel ready for this, he doesn’t feel like doing this, at all. Hadn’t been too on board in the first place. And it’s not the promise of adventure that really roped him in the whole ordeal, but rather the nagging, incessant thought that Go plus Gladion alone for an entire night couldn’t equal anything good.

Even though he knows that’s an stupid thought, even though he knows they had spent countless nights together already, discovering the Alola Region. Even though he trusts Gladion, and knows he wouldn’t attempt anything that could hurt his and Go’s relationship, or their own friendship, for that matter.

Even though he knows Go _loves him,_ and he trusts him unconditionally.

Still, he simply can’t shake the feeling away, and it drives him insane, it makes him feel uneasy, and guilty, and like some jealous-alpha-type douchebag he definitely doesn’t want to be.

But he swallows all of this down, Go wants an adventure, and he wants to be there for it, even when his reasons are less-than-noble, it’s not the time to be a burden with his insecurities.

He settles on a curt nod in response to the question and, as quietly as they can, they head out through the window, distancing themselves from the house until it’s safe to call out Dragonite, and fly away to Poni Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boy oh boy what I have saved for you next chapter, guess you'll have to read on ;)


	10. Night IV (Midnight)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't hate me for this, I promise I'll fix it x x

“Seriously, stop pushing me” Complains Go, Ash on his heels, bumping him every couple of steps.

“It’s not on purpose!” Defends the other man, looking as irritated as Go sounds.

They were doing a terrible job at the staying quiet part, in Gladion’s opinion, who could hear them coming up from a mile away. They were only so lucky the place was virtually deserted.

“Ah, a lovers quarrel” He sighed, drily, Umbreon looking up to him curiously “it’s when…well, what they’re doing” he tries to explain, nodding in the direction he thinks his friends are coming from.

The dark-type doesn’t quite get it, but looks that way nonetheless, its tail moving happily when it finally sees them approach.

“Ash, I swear to Arceus, if you don’t _stop - ”_

 _“What,_ Go? What-ever will you do to poor ol’ me?” Challenges Ash, provoking, annoying the blue-eyed man even more.

Gladion waves his hands in the air, his phone’s lantern adverting his position, and Go practically runs in the direction, momentarily dropping his spat with the trainer.

“Hey” Greets the blond “Everything all right?”

Go’s sigh is a little too heavy for that to be a safe assumption, but he lies anyways.

“Yeah” he replies, his lips tight “Ash is just being an idiot”

“I head that!” He’s caught up to where they are, standing at the top of a cliff, with clear view of the exploration site.

“And all of Poni Island heard you” Scoffs Go, rolling his eyes.

“Um…” Gladion isn’t used to seeing them fight. He’s heard them argue before, when they were regions away, and even those arguments were more frustrated sadness than real anger. Every time he’s seen them together in the flesh, though, it seems as though they pretty much have the perfect relationship, always hugging and being cute with each other, they tease each other plenty, sure, but never actively unkind to one another.

It’s…strange, to watch them bicker, a little amusing, the ease with which they get on each other’s nerves.

“What is happening down there?” Asks him Ash, looking down to the taped area.

Right, they were here for a reason.

“Well, it definitely is an ultra-wormhole - ”

“On the ground, though?” He interrupts, confused now, having only seen them appear at random on the sky before.

“Mm, we learned a few years that they appear in certain caves and forests, sometimes, and are surprisingly stable, too!” Explains an enthusiastic Go, happy to make use of all his acquired knowledge “the Islands’ magnetic power helps keep them together for much longer than the ones that form spontaneously in the sky. But they are also harder to find, or even identify, since the meteorological radars don’t pick them up, and tracking volcanic or ground activity won’t give us the data we need to identify them…”

“It used to be hard to find them, until you came up with that soil tracking technology” Supports Gladion, elbowing the researcher playfully, voice full of admiration “If it weren’t for your project, Go, we would’ve never found this ultra-wormhole, or many of the other ones around Poni and Akala Island, it was truly revolutionary” He says, making Go blush at the compliments.

“Ah, I don’t know about that. Besides, you helped a lot, too” He downplays, shaking his head in modesty.

Gladion gives him a smile, and calls it a team effort, saying how good they had always been as a dynamic-duo.

Ash frowns at the exchange, he doesn’t care for Gladion’s awed compliments, or his comments, and he bites his tongue when he sees the blush take over Go’s cheeks.

He is sleep deprived, and annoyed at his boyfriend as it is, he doesn’t need to top it with an unnecessary display of irrational jealousy right now. He’s still conscious enough to know Go wouldn’t appreciate it.

“Right” Intercedes the trainer, before they can get too nerdy about it “So, how do we go in?”

Go’s eyes widen at the suggestion “What do you mean - we can’t go in!” He exclaims, alarmed, but then he stops himself, and looks at Gladion with a raised eyebrow “Can we…go in?”

Gladion tuts “Theoretically, it’s stable enough that it won’t disappear if someone were to cross it, but… we are not sure of what’s on the other side, it could be hostile”

“Nobody crossed yet? In or out?” Asks Go.

Gladion shakes his head “They threw some berries in, see if any pits came back, but nothing - other than that, it was just Burnet prodding with the control panel and the data most of the night. It did falter some, when they tried to send something larger to the other side”

“I thought you said it was stable?”

“I said _theoretically,_ it should be, we haven’t seen many that hold this long, the ones found on the ground usually last some seventy-two hours before disappearing” Explains Gladion.

“How long now for this one? You and your dad were here on Monday, was it?” Go is already walking down to the site, uncaring for whether he’s being followed.

Gladion is right behind them, and Ash a few meters behind. He’s feeling rather left out in this so-called adventure.

“We found it on Tuesday, actually, but it wasn’t fully formed yet, it’s gotta be…maybe fifty-something hours, since it formed? An accurate time should be somewhere in the data”

“Hack-password still the same?” He’s opening his laptop now, and connecting to the mobile gateway the Aether Foundation uses on explorations like this.

Gladion chuckles “Yeah” He breathes, entertained by Go’s unapologetic breaking-of-the-law.

Ash doesn’t know what the hack-password is, doesn’t know what Go is doing right now, doesn’t know why Gladion’s green eyes are shining so much in the dim moonlight.

He does know, however, that he doesn’t like it. Not one bit.

But this really wasn’t about him tonight, was it? It was all Go. And for Go, he can swallow down the annoyance and hint of hurt he’s feeling right now.

“Ash? Hand me the red flash-drive, from my backpack?” Requests Go, typing furiously on the laptop.

“Um, sure” he says, kneeling to fish for it. He finds it easily, for where he knows Go keeps them in the outer pocket.

Go doesn’t look up from his work, or says anything more than a mumbled _thank you,_ but his thumb caresses the top of Ash’s fingers when he offers the item, and some of the stress he was feeling melts away.

He is being an idiot, he knows. Go still loves him, he knows.

He hopes.

He peeks over Go’s shoulder, the numbers and letters moving too fast on the screen for him to even pretend to understand them.

But it’s enough to grant him Go’s attention for a moment, eyebrow raised, and blue-eyes a little amused “Get away” he instructs, over a chuckle.

Ash pouts, but obeys, standing up again and going next to Gladion, that is still weirdly absorbed in watching Go do his nerdy-thing.

“All right” Sighs Go, some minutes later “the closest approximation is sixty-hours, so that only gives about…twelve, left? I don’t understand, why would they leave it for the night, if it could be closing so soon…”

“It doesn’t say?” Asks Ash, feeling a little dumb, but his curiosity winning over. He doesn’t get it either, and it’s not that complicated.

Gladion shakes his head, reading the same data Go has accessed on his phone “The last entry is from Burnet, says it doesn’t seem as though this ultra-wormhole leads to another Pokémon world”

“What the hell does that mean?” Asks Ash, puzzled.

Go frowns “it means it might go to a world _without_ Pokémon”

Ash’s mind can’t picture that. Pikachu’s equally dumbfounded expression suggests it can’t imagine such a world, either.

“So they…lost interest? Because there are no Pokémon on the other side?”

“We don’t know that for sure” Argues Go “It’s just a theory”

“Well, then, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” He closes up to where the actual hole is, surrounded by the security yellow-tape. Before he can peep his head over, however, Go’s arm is on his way, eyes stern.

“ _Be careful”_ He warns “You can’t just lean over an ultra-wormhole, it could suck you in”He explains, angrily.

It’s mostly worry, because, _honestly,_ Ash is always jumping into potentially dangerous situations, headfirst, without any consideration of what might happen to him.

Go can’t stand the mere idea of anything ever happening to Ash. And this wouldn’t be the first time he scolds him for such reckless behavior.

It’s not the first time Ash swats his arm aside and tells him to stop being so overdramatic, either. But for some reason, this time it hurts, there’s a heat behind Ash’s manner he is not used to, and he doesn’t like it, doesn’t like the way it feels.

“Ash, Go is right, it isn’s safe” Says Gladion, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the tension packing the air between his two friends.

“Yeah, I’m sure you agree with everything Go says” mumbles the trainer, bitterly. Gladion doesn’t hear him, luckily, but the look he gets from Go is enough to make his guilt surface.

He’s not handling this gracefully, he knows it. But he is too tired, and too irritated, has been feeling too neglected to be reasonable right now. If they’re heading for a fight, he’ll fight, they’ll figure it out.

They always do.

“What is wrong with you?” Hisses Go, his blue eyes concerned, despite the anger he’s projecting.

Ash internally groans, frustrated at, once again, not immediately finding the words to say how he feels.

He shakes his head, frowning, and moves past Go to inspect the forsaken ultra-wormhole again. Go doesn’t stop him this time, and instead steps back to whisper something to Gladion.

For the first time all night, Ash doesn’t care for what it is, whatever it is those two have going on.

He wishes this stupid wormhole would swallow him. Let Go and Gladion be happily nerdy together. They have so much more in common anyways.

And this is something that seriously haunts him on the regular. Go is too smart for him, he’s always known that. Go is _too good_ for him, and he might fool himself, thinking that they are so great together, and they _are,_ but he doesn’t… he will never be able to understand everything that Go says, not the way Gladion does.

Go deserves someone who is on his level, but he is too selfish to say that. And maybe Go is too blind to realize it.

They’d been trying this for so long, had fought so hard for it. For _this,_ being together like they are now. He doesn’t doubt they love one another, but some days he fears love alone might not be enough.

But he can’t voice these doubts, now, can he? He’s supposed to be the optimist, the one with the unwavering conviction.

Ash Ketchum has no doubts.

And even if he had them, he couldn’t place them in a sentence. As it turns out, he’s too dumb for that, too.

“Oh no” He hears Gladion say, his phone going off with some alarm, noisy and bright, and, suddenly, the ultra-wormhole begins to shine, too, blindingly so.

The last thing he registers before the fall is Go calling for him to _get the fuck away from there._

Ash doesn’t remember losing his balance, if anything, he’s sure he stepped back from the potential hazard, he’s not _that_ stupid.

But he’s falling nonetheless, he knows, because on instinct his arms tighten on Pikachu’s body, that has fallen with him, and for all the light radiating from the hole, it’s pitch-black when his eyes open.

He hears Go and Gladion’s screams, but he can’t do much for replying, his voice gone.

Everything gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well,,,,so,,,,that happened,,,thoughts? angry mobs? rotten tomatoes? leave 'em all in the box below. thank you for reading!


	11. Day V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for tuning in! your comments fill me with joy - on today's chapter: I fix a mess - and create another three :))))) 
> 
> I hope you like it!

“Are you almost finished?” Asks Go, looking over his friend’s shoulder with curious eyes.

Ash immediately places his hands over the paper, turning to shoo the other man away with wide eyes “You can’t see it!” He yells.

Go rolls his eyes with a scoff, Ash was so dramatic.

“What’s the big deal? I’m gonna see it at the festival, anyways” He retorts, but steps away, not wanting to actually upset his friend.

Ash is blushing, and hides his decorated sign among the other papers on the table, clearly nervous.

He looks very cute, in Go’s opinion, all flustered over a festival sign, which isn’t really all that important, and will probably get lost in the sea of drawings that are sure to be present in the parade that night.

But Ash had been excited about decorating them, and Go could never deny Ash anything that made him happy.

Go would never deny Ash anything, would give him _everything,_ if the other boy asked him to.

Not that he would, of course. Ash didn’t think of him that way.

And Go was okay with it, had accepted that truth a long time ago. As long as he could have Ash’s friendship, everything would be fine.

“Shall we?” He asks, they had places to be, friends to meet, and a festival to prepare for.

“Yeah, just let me…” He means to turn to pick up his folded sign, but a piercing noise rings into his head, startling him, almost making him lose his balance. It’s deafening, _loud,_ making him shut his eyes in pain, but it lasts only a few seconds, and it’s over, almost as if it hadn’t happened at all.

When he opens his eyes again, he’s met with wide, worried blue-ones, questioning him.

“Ash? Are you okay? What happened?” Go is holding him by the shoulders, helping him stay upright.

He shakes his head “I don’t know - it was just, didn’t you hear a noise?”

“No?” He’s looking at Ash confusedly, debating whether he should be taking his friend to the doctor instead.

Ash seems to sense his concern, and, not wanting to be any trouble, tries to play it off “I’m all right!” He exclaims “Really, it was nothing, I’m all good, see?” He points at himself with a broad smile, feigning nonchalantness.

Go doesn’t fully buy it, but knows Ash well enough not to push it.

“if you say so” He drawls, doubtfully.

“I’m sure” Laughs the brown-eyed man, playfully pushing Go with his shoulder.

Go joins him, because it’s easy to laugh, when Ash is around.

-0-

“You are such an idiot” Accuses Ash, his voice oozing irritation “What were you thinking?!” He yells, at his equally upset partner.

“ _Me?_ Why, excuse me for worrying about you! It clearly was a terrible mistake!” Booms Go, in the quiet of the forest they have apparently landed into.

Pikachu and Cinderace know better than to get near their trainers right now, and choose to sit it out and wait by a nearby tree, both wincing at the increasingly harsher words from the men.

“You could’ve been hurt!” Exclaims Ash. And the mere thought of that makes him even angrier, because it would have been his fault, like everything else that had gone wrong thus far that night “You should’ve stayed, Go” he sighs, defeated.

He hates fighting. It makes him miserable.

“What, and just _leave you?_ You think I could do that?” His anger has deflated, too, and it’s now a bitter, saddened murmur.

Ash doesn’t think so, no. Because, if it had been Go the one who fell through the ultra-wormhole, he would’ve jumped without a moment’s hesitation, too.

They were stupid like that. They loved each other like that.

Like crazy.

“We’re so stupid” It’s the next thing he says, laughing drily.

Go joins him in quiet agreement. They really are.

The researcher heaves a sigh, bracing himself “What happened, Ash? Before the - before you fell” He asks, because he doesn’t want to do anything else before they sort this out.

There are probably more pressing issues, like figuring out where exactly have they landed, or, more importantly, how to find their way back.

But he doesn’t want to be angry anymore. Doesn’t need this ridiculous fight.

And Ash hates it when they fight, he knows that, so he’s just as eager to get started with this conversation, painful as it might be.

“I was…I got jealous, and I was being an asshole - and I’m sorry” And he means it, Go can feel the sincerity in his words, plain as they are.

But he doesn’t quite get it “Why? I mean, _what_ were you jealous of?”

Ash shrugs, a little embarrassed “Gladion” He admits, quietly. And Go is even more confused now.

Of Gladion. Of Gladion? “ _Of Gladion?”_ His face scrunches up funnily, and Ash can’t help the smile at his expression, of course he wouldn’t see it.

He takes a minute, to gather his thoughts, to phrase the next sentence carefully, because he doesn’t want Go to think he’s upset at his and Gladion’s friendship, that couldn’t be further from the truth, it’s just…

“…You and Gladion - he understands you very well, you know? You don’t have to dumb things down for him. You have secret hack-passwords, and he’s _so cool,_ why is he so cool? It was the middle of the night, and he was still acting _so cool”_

Go chuckles, he knows Ash is trying to be serious, but it’s easy for him to get sidetracked sometimes, his thoughts racing each other, crashing and merging, until his sentences become muddy, and his message becomes hard to decode.

it's a good thing he's spend years mastering the skill.

“He is very cool” Agrees Go, softly, waiting for the rest of it.

Ash grows serious again, sad, in a way Go has vowed to keep him from ever being, against his own common-sense.

“I’m not that smart, Go, not like Gladion” Continues Ash, and Go’s heart begins to break when he understands where Ash is going with this “And maybe you would be better off…with someone who gets you like that…” He finishes.

It’s a quiet, pained admission. A summary, of all he had been feeling earlier that night, but he doesn’t feel he needs to say much more. He’s calmer than he was then, thoughts a little clearer. It hurts the same, though, his chest feels just as tight at the idea of Go leaving. Of Go realizing he could do better.

How selfish of him, isn’t it.

Go doesn’t reply immediately, taking in the trainer’s words. He feels anger, at Ash, for even _thinking_ that Go could ever…but mostly he’s just mad at himself, for ever allowing Ash to feel that insecure in the first place.

Then he feels sad, because Ash feels sad, because he’s made Ash feel this sad, when he’s promised to himself to never let that be the case.

And he feels guilty, too. He can see now how Ash may have felt left out. He and Gladion, they clicked very well, that much was true, they’d worked together for years, had done the whole breaking-and-entering thing before. They were practically working on muscle memory. But it had been new to Ash, and Go hadn’t made much of an effort to include him in the adventure.

That had been rude of them. And not very good-partner-y on his side.

“I’m sorry” Is what he says, voice full of remorse.

“Uh, I think I’m the one that should be saying that” Argues Ash, confusedly.

But Go shakes his head “ _I’m sorry,_ that I made you feel that way, that I even gave you reason to think that I - Ash, I don’t care for how cool Gladion is, or isn’t, he’s…he’s a great friend” And Ash nods at this, he _agrees,_ wholeheartedly. Gladion is awesome “And he does get me very well, it’s easy to work with him…” The trainer just keeps nodding along, hoping for a ‘but’ somewhere in there.

“ _But…” thank you “_ He doesn’t carry around any extra poke-balls…” Ash does, because Go throws them left and right, and there can never be too many “…and he lets me work for hours on end, uninterrupted” Ash doesn’t, actively _fights_ him on it, arguing that it’s bad for his health, not moving or eating, or resting for so long “And he _still_ doesn’t know the lyrics to the Rae-mae song, even though I’ve been singing it for years” Ash hates that song, with a passion, but knows every single word, and could probably sing it backwards, in his sleep, much to his dismay.

It was’t even Go’s favorite song. He just liked to sing it when he worked. And anyone who worked with him was fated to hear it for hours on a loop, until they were finished, or went insane. Usually the latter.

“He doesn’t know how I take my coffee” Black, no sugar, _some times_ cream “doesn’t know Cinderace’s favorite treats” Persim berries, though Ash would never understand why “He can’t read my handwriting” …Actually, Ash doesn’t blame Gladion for that, he’s often surprised of his own capacity to do so.

“Gladion is great, Ash, truly, but, it isn’t Gladion who I want to go to bed with every night” and thank Arceus for that, the mere idea makes Ash’s blood boil a little, but he reasons he’d feel that with anyone, it isn’t a Gladion-only problem “it isn’t Gladion who I want to wake up with, or share breakfast first, or go on dates with, or who…”

“Okay, okay, I get it” interrupts Ash, blushing “But, you gotta admit, it _would_ be simpler”

Go shrugs “I don’t think it could be any simpler than it is with you, Ash. I love _you_ , like I haven’t anyone before, and I don’t care for loving anyone else, don’t need to. You’re - Arceus, you’re more than I deserve, probably, but I want you, and only you”

Could never want anyone else.

Ash nods, and a small chuckle escapes his pouting face “I thought the same - uh, that you deserve better than me, I mean…”

Go considers, they really are stupid, and very much made for one another “Maybe we should just agree that we deserve each other just fine? We _do_ make a good team” Proposes Go, trying to lighten the mood.

“The _best_ team” Agrees Ash, some cheer back in his voice.

Go leans into the trainer’s space, holding his wrists in his hands, and Ash accepts the kiss easily, deepens it, until they run out of air, until most of the tension has left their bodies.

When they separate, Go cradles Ash’s face in his hands, thumbs caressing the marks on his cheeks “I belong to _you,_ Ash Ketchum, and I don’t want to be anyone else’s, get that into that thick head of yours” Blue eyes meet brown, and Go can see the distinctive glint he loves in his partner’s gaze.

Ash nods, a grin taking over his face, and he kisses Go again, briefly, with force “Ditto” He says, making Go roll his eyes in fake-annoyance. Way to kill a moment.

“Just for the record, I’m not - I think Gladion is awesome, and I wasn’t jealous of you guys being friends, I think that’s great! It’s good you have a nerdy friend to talk about nerdy things with, but sometimes he can get…” Go presses a finger against his lips, patient expression on his face.

“I know, I get it” Ash gives him an apologetic smile anyways, because he had overreacted “it’s all good, besides, I don’t think Gladion will ever act on it, and it’s not like I would correspond him, but, just, don’t worry about it”

“Wait, wait, _you know?”_

The trainer is dumbfounded, all this time, he had thought Go was oblivious to Gladion’s attraction to him, it was so subtle, Ash was surprised he’d figured it out himself.

Then again, he could be very perceptive, when it came to Go.

Go raises an amused eyebrow “Of course I do. But I don’t think Gladion knows _I_ know, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings or anything, so…”

Ash nods “I know nothing” He promises, making Go chuckle, and roll his eyes again.

“All right. Good” He takes a breath, and looks at their surroundings, inviting Pikachu and Cinderace to join them again, reassuring them with a look that everything is good again, though they knew that as soon as they’d seen their trainers kissing “Now, shall we figure this out?”

-0-

Ash has been in love with Go pretty much since the moment he first saw him.

He was fifteen, it was another great, sunny bright day in Alola, and they’d been working in a field project with the younger students of the Pokémon School, helping them find several species that appeared along the shore.

It was all normal, Sophocles was telling a group of kids all about Mareanie’s evolution, Kiawe convincing another group of how fire Pokémon were better than water types, Lana punching and telling him to _stop lying to the younglings,_ Mallow and Lillie actually doing what they were supposed to, and helping the kids take photos and document their homework.

Ash was helping, too. Sort of.

He _had_ been helping a little kid get a good shot of a Palossand, but then he made the mistake of turning his gaze upward, just for a moment.

But that was enough, because as soon as he did, he saw the most beautiful boy he had ever laid eyes on. Tan skin, dark hair, and…were his eyes blue?

Oh, his eyes were _very_ blue. Who knew eyes could be that blue?

The most amazing part was that this god-like boy was looking at him, too! Small smile playing on his lips, and some words were coming out of his mouth.

Wait…

“Excuse me…?” He heard god-like boy ask, with a small frown now on his face.

Shit, had he been talking to Ash?

“Oh! I’m sorry - I - I wasn’t paying attention” He admitted, sheepishly, a nervous hand scratching behind his head “could you say that again?”

Thankfully, god-like boy didn’t seem upset at him, and giggled at his manner instead.

“I was just asking if you knew where the Pokémon School is? I’m a little lost” He repeated, with an adorable purse of his lips.

 _Arceus, what is happening to me,_ wondered Ash, feeling his face grow red for absolutely no reason.

“Uh, yeah, yes! I know where it is!” He exclaimed, probably louder than it need be.

Impossible-blue-eyes raised a questioning eyebrows, an amused expression on his face “Would you mind pointing me there?”

The little kid he’d been helping snickered at his graceless handling of the conversation, adding to his humiliation “O-Of course!” He stammered “Actually, I work there, well technically I study there, but today we’re working with the kids and - uh, I could take you there, I mean, if- if you want? We’re finished here anyways”

They were not. They were far from finished, had just arrived an hour ago. But the cutest-boy-in-the-world didn’t need to know that. Nor did his friends need to know he was about to make a run for it.

He looked down nervously, to the child who was supposed to be under his care. The child took pity on him, and simply rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand “Just go” He said, and turned around to find another group. The blue haired lady hitting the Akala boy seemed like an interesting bunch…

“Shall we?” Asked his future husband. And Ash could only nod dumbly.

“Yes, of course” He chanted, blushing like a fool “Let’s go”

The other boy didn’tseem fazed at his ridiculous shtick, and patiently waited for him to lead the way.

“I’m Go, by the way” Said god-like boy, stretching his hand, easy smile on his face.

The raven haired boy shook it enthusiastically “Ash” he replied, returning the smile.

Ash was over-the-moon at discovering Go wasn’t just passing through Alola, but that he’d moved to Melemele! Would be living there for the foreseeable future, planning to study Pokémon behavior under Director Oak’s wing.

Four years later, he was proud to call Go his best friend.

The chemistry was instant.

They had lots of things in common, both loved to go on adventures, and eat amazing food, and take care of Pokémon. Go was brave, and decided, and full of wonder for the world, and Ash was forever admired at his optimism and kindness.

He was also helplessly in love. But that was not here nor there.

“Which one would you like? Sweet or sour?” Is asking his friend now, as they move to the front of the line, the smell of freshly made Malasadas permeating the air.

“Um, both?” He asks, dumb grin on his face, making Go laugh.

Ash loves that sound.

“I’d say that you’ll ruin your appetite, but we both know that’s nearly impossible” He teases.

“Hey, I gotta charge my energy, it’s still a few hours until the festival, you know, and I only had two plates at lunch” He justifies, mouth watering at the sight of the Malasadas.

Go orders for them, and treats him to _both_ sweet and sour treats, playfully flirting with the lady at the other side of the counter. He’s so cool, thinks Ash, so carefree and charming.

Definitely _too_ cool form him. Ash had always known that.

From the moment he’d met him, he knew that Go was the type of person that seized each day and lived it to the fullest. Had gone on countless adventures, lived across multiple regions, met dozens of awesome people.

Ash? Ash had spent his entire life in Alola, and there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about him, he didn’t even own a Pokémon… well, there was Pikachu, but it never wanted to come out of its poke ball, and Ash doubted he could call himself a trainer if his one and only companion didn’t even want to join him to hang out.

Still, none of that seemed to matter for Go, he was just as kind, just as friendly to Ash, and genuinely seem to enjoy the time they spent together.

Ash would be happy, as long as he had Go’s friendship.

He would be happi _er_ if he could spend every last one of his days by his friend’s side, holding his hand, kissing him, doing so much more…

But he didn’t let himself go there, because he knew it would never happen.

Not even in a parallel universe, would he and Go ever be together.

-0-

“You _sure_ it’s a different world?” Asks Ash, for the umpteenth time, and Go feels his well-trained patience begin to wear thin.

“ _Yes,_ Ash, I’m sure” He replies, for the umpteenth time as well.

“Looks an awful lot like Melemele, ’s all I’m saying” He mumbles, looking around distractedly.

“I told you already, it’s a parallel universe, it _may_ look the same, but things are different, maybe not evidently so, but they are” Explains Go.

“You were wrong about the no Pokémon thing” Points Ash, they were everywhere in town, and seemed to be just as friendly and accustomed to humans as the ones back in ‘their world’

Go hums. It hadn’t been his theory in the first place, but he doesn’t feel the need correct Ash. And he’s actually happy they’d been wrong. Worlds without Pokémon were dull.

He’s never been to this one, and that excites him almost as much as it scares him. In all their years researching ultra-wormholes phenomenons, Burnet, Gladion and him had seen their fair share of crazy alternate realities, where the sea was upside down, and colors were inverted and gravity worked in impossible ways.

But they’d also been to more normal looking worlds, not unlike this one, and he remembers Burnet explaining them how there were different worlds, and there were _parallel universes,_ and how the differences were very important.

They should always be careful, of course, but in a different world the risks were more on the don’t-fall-into-the-unknown-abyss type, not the looming possibility of running into yourself, and potentially altering someone else’s entire reality in irreparable ways. Now _that_ should be a scary thought.

The mechanics of getting out of either were simple enough, though, and he knew them by heart. So he felt fairly confident that they would be fine.

Just as long as they didn’t run into their other-selves. He didn’t want to ruin anyone’s life, specially not his own.

“Looks like there’s a festival going on” Comments Ash now, using his free hand to point at the villagers, moving around with large signs and decorative pieces. “We should stay” He declares.

Go chuckles, _of course he would_ “We can’t stay” He replies, calmly, and does his best to ignore Ash’s (and Pikachu’s) pouty reaction “I told you already, we need to get to Poni Island before dark, otherwise we risk the ultra-wormhole closing.” That would be trouble, of the type Go doesn’t want to find himself into.

“It’ll only be for a little bit, come on!” whines Ash, pout intensifying “Besides, I’m hungry, we haven’t eaten since we got here”

That gets a reaction “Since we got…we’re not on a field-trip, Ash! We _landed_ here after _you_ recklessly fell through that ultra-wormhole, it’s not like we _should_ be here in the first place!” He’s not angry, they’ve had this fight already, but he still finds himself exasperated at the nonchalantness with which Ash is treating this situation.

“ _Please,_ don’t act like you didn’t want to cross it anyways” Smarts the trainer. And Go’s reply dies in his mouth, because, _point._

Ash really did know him too well for his own good.

“Let’s just get back to Poni Island” Sighs Go, pulling at their joined hands, trying to make Ash follow him.

But the trainer has grounded in place, and seems to be contemplating something now.

“Agh, all right, we’ll get some Malasadas to go, come on, the store should be this way…”

But Ash doesn’t move, in fact, he’s grown very still, and now Go is beginning to worry.

“Ash?” He asks, standing next to his partner, he tries to follow the direction of his gaze, and his breath hitches when he sees it.

When he sees _them._

Shit.

 _“_ Is that…is that us?” Whispers the trainer, taken aback.

Go nods slowly, though Ash may not be able to see him.

“Pika-chu? Pika…” Pikachu looks between its trainer and his doppelgänger, back and forth, dizzying itself with the movement.

“We gotta - uh, we have to get out of here, Ash. They can’t see us” But the warning falls on deaf ears, because Ash is still very much unresponsive.

And Go doesn’t feel like moving, either. He’s…intrigued, has always been with these parallel universes business, with the possibility of finding himself in a different way, a different version, maybe even living in a different time.

Burnet has always forbidden them from making contact, and he can understand why, but he is still most curious to find out just how he acted in these other worlds, what things he had in common with these ‘other’ Go’s.

One thing he’d found (much to his amusement, and great joy) is that on every single one of them Ash was in his life, one way or another.

And it seemed as though this reality wasn’t the exception.

“You look really cool in this world” Is what Ash eventually says, his voice a little awed.

He raises an amused eyebrow at the comment “As opposed to…?”

The trainer is quick to amend, disastrously so “I mean, you’re really cool in _our_ world, too. But here you _seem -_ agh, no, well, you look very cool in our world as well, of course…it’s just…” Go just nods his head, unconvinced, and lets him dig the hole deeper, enjoying it too much to stop him.

Ash sighs, mortified “You’re very cute and hot and amazing in every single world, I’m very lucky to have you, and I’m going to shut up now” He finishes, closing his eyes in embarrassment.

Go’s laughter warms his flustered heart, and the soft peck against his cheek makes him feel instantly better.

“You are very handsome, too” Nods the blue-eyed man, in the direction of their counterparts “But we seriously need to move, if they see us we could get in a lot of…”

…Trouble, is what the wants to say. But he doesn’t get around it, because a loud voice booms his name at a distance.

The voice he knows too well, is that of the man standing next to him. Except it doesn’t come from the man standing next to him.

Instead, it comes from a shocked, brown-eyed man with raven hair and funny marks on his cheeks, standing a few meters away.

 _Technically_ the man next to him. But not quite.

Aw, hell.

“What do we do now?” Hisses Ash, nervous.

Go doesn’t know “I don’t know” He whispers back, equally anxious.

Theoretically, he does. Burnet had taught them what to do, what to say, how to handle it. But they’d never actually found themselves in the situation, always erring on the side of caution and simply _staying away._

Of course, Ash hadn’t been with him in any of those previous scenarios.

It’s always a first time with Ash, isn’t it.

“Just…let me handle it” he instructs, not really hoping for Ash to comply, because, _when does he._

But it’s too late to ponder on that, because their counterparts are now standing in front of them, and are now impossible to ignore.

“You - what is - are we dreaming?” Asks an astonished Ash, looking between the Go at his side and the one in front of him.

Both respond with a shake of their heads. But it’s the one in front of him who replies:

“No, you are not. But, this might be a little complicated to explain…” He begins.

“Is it? I mean, we just fell through an ultra-wormhole, and now we’re here” Interrupts the man that looks _exactly like him,_ his voice sounds the same, too! And - wait, did he just say ‘ultra-wormhole’?

“Oh, that makes sense” Expresses his friend, who’d been quiet, up until now, he seems incredibly unfazed for someone who is standing right in front of, well… himself? “An ultra-wormhole, you said? Was it near here?” He questions, directed to Ash.

But Go feels the need to reply instead, fascinated at the nonchalantness of his counterpart “Yes, do you know about those here? Do you study them?” He asks “Have you met other versions of us before? ah, are they always…”

“Go, let him talk” Reproaches Ash, with a snicker and a shake of his head “We landed not too far from here, by one of the forest’s clearings, but we were in Poni Island where the wormhole sucked us in” He explains. Other-Go nodding his understanding.

“I see. I’m not too familiar with this phenomenon, but my teacher has spoken about them before, they are fairly common in this region, I presume is the same for you?” Blue-eyes just like his nod in confirmation “I haven’t met any other ‘us’ before, but I knew it was a possibility, it’s quite fantastic, actually” He says, and Go can’t help but to agree with Ash that this other-Go is _really cool._

“Is nice to know we’re friends in another world, too, isn’t it? And look, he has a Pikachu, as well!” He comments to the raven haired teen next to him, who is still a bit out of it.

Ash perks up at this information “Ah, you have a Pikachu? That’s so awesome! Can we meet it? Isn’t that great, buddy?” He asks to his companion, that nods enthusiastically “Do you have a Cinderace?” He asks to other-Go, pointing at his-Go’s fire hare, standing behind its trainer, unconcerned with any of the recent developments.

But his boyfriend’s counterpart shakes his head “No, um, I have a Mew…” He replies, making Go gasp in shock.

“ _What?_ Mew? As in, _the Mew?!”_ It couldn’t be, he’d _caught it?_ In this alternate dimension, he’d achieved his dream of catching Mew?!

“Mhm, it’s been with me since I was a child, we only travelled together for a few years but, eventually, it let me catch it” He replies, confused at his counterpart’s reaction “You don’t have one?” He questions

“No” Says a defeated Go, Ash wincing at his pained tone. This had always a difficult topic -“But it’s my dream to catch it” He exclaims, determined.

“I’m sure you will someday” Nods back other-Go.

Ash really likes this guy, then again, he doubts there’s any version of Go he wouldn’t like “Mine is back in the Pokémon school, if you’d like to come meet them? We were headed there, to pick up our stuff for the festival”

They shouldn’t, since they don’t really have the time to be sparing, but Ash wants to go, if the way his eyes light up at the invitation are any indication, and now Go feels like going, too, because Mew - _the Mew! -_ was there, it had been caught, by him!

Well, a _version_ of him, but that was good enough.

“Maybe a short visit…” Says Go, with a side-glance to his partner, who throws his hands in the air immediately, feeling triumphant.

“Yes! Let’s go!” He chants, startling their counterparts, and making Go sigh out, but he can’t repress the fond smile on his face.

Whatever made Ash happy.

-0-

Other-Ash and other-Go lead the way, everyone asking each other questions about their respective ‘other’ lives.

Ash is shocked to learn Pikachu won’t come out of its poke ball in this world, _his_ Pikachu horrified in disbelief.

“Pikachu won’t ever go _into_ its poke-ball!” Exclaims Ash, his small friend perched on his shoulder, nodding.

Other-Ash shrugs “It never - I think we never got around to developing that bond, it was always a little too indifferent to me” He says, and Ash can tell he’s disappointed.

“But you still can!” Says his counterpart, eyes shining with determination “I mean, Pikachu and I, it took us a while to become this connected, too, but we’ve been friends for a long time now, and we’re always getting better and stronger, you know, together! And you can do that with your Pikachu as well, you just gotta try, every day!”

He’s so… _different,_ thinks Ash, almost a complete opposite of himself, so full of fire and resolve, they may look the same, but Ash feels as if this other man is a complete stranger to him. He’s confident, and driven, has a great relationship with his own Pikachu.

Perhaps the only thing they had in common was their friendship with Go.

“How is Go?” He asks, bluntly, blushing “I mean, is he - is he as awesome as he is here?” _Is he the greatest person ever, too? Are you in love with him, too?_

Ash chuckles, lowly, looking at the blue-eyed men, walking a few meters ahead of them.

“Go is the best” He replies, simply, a proud smile on his face “We’re very lucky to have him”

He nods in agreement. Yeah, and he should be grateful that at least he got to be friends with Go in all these worlds. That should be enough.

But if it were enough, he doesn’t think it would hurt this much.

“Your Ash seems so calm” Says Go, missing how his phrasing makes the other boy blush.

“M-My Ash?” He stammers a little, and Go raises a curious eyebrow at this reaction “I mean - uh, yeah, I guess, he’s very funny to be around, but he isn’t crazy loud” He explains, willing away his reddened cheeks, though he feels just as nervous making the next question “Is, uh, is _your_ Ash not like that?”

Go shakes his head, laughing “No, he’s very, _very_ loud, all the time, but he’s just got a lot of energy in him, which actually has its advantages” He says, winking playfully, and other-Go wonders what he means by that “— but he is also the bravest, kindest person I know, and that mostly makes up for the clumsy and noisy part” He replies, smiling warmly.

He can relate to that, because his Ash is also the kindest person he knows, and he, too, makes Go smile warmly at the mere though of his raven hair and funny cheek-marks.

Upon arriving to the Pokémon school, they go to the classroom where they’d been working on their festival signs earlier that day.

Mew welcomes them, surprised at first, at seeing two versions of its trainer, but getting over it fairly quickly, replacing shock with excitement at the prospect of having two Go’s to play with, plus an actually-willing Pikachu, which was a pleasant change.

“What is this festival about, anyways?” Wonders Ash, appreciating the pictures of previous celebrations hanging on the room’s walls.

“Oh? You don’t know? The 17th of November, is the day we celebrate the Guardians of the islands, Tapu-Koko, in our case” Explains other-Go.

“The - the 17th of November? _Today_ is the 17th of November?” Other-Ash confirms so with a nod, and points in the direction of a large calendar, with the day clearly marked in a red circle “Go! Today is the 17th of November!” He exclaims, alarmed, making their counterparts wince at his loudness.

But Go only nods, patient “Yeah, it technically would be in our world, too, remember? We just don’t celebrate any festivities today, well, not of this type…”

“But- today, today is…!”

“I know, Ash” he cuts, and offers a sympathetic smile at his partner’s pout “Don’t worry, we’ll get back before the day is over, and we’ll celebrate” He promises, and extends his hand to briefly squeeze Ash’s, reassuringly.

“Um, do you do that often?” Asks other-Ash, despite himself, curiosity getting the best of him.

“Do what?” Replies Go, turning his eyes to him.

“The - uh, holding hands, you were doing it before, too, in the city” Explains the brown-eyed teen, a little flustered. A lot hopeful.

His counterpart looks confused “Yeah? Do couples not hold hands in this world?” He questions, though he sheepishly remembers they hadn’t been much of the habit in public until very recently.

But they were in an alternate, strange world, and he wasn’t about about to let Go wander around on the loose, lest he get lost. Besides, their hands were better joint together, he’d decided.

Go gasps quietly next to him, a soft _oh_ leaving his lips, realizing something Ash doesn’t get to question him for, the other boys asking more questions.

“C-Couples?” Is asking other-Go now, flushing furiously “You - you two are a couple? As in, you are dating?”

Ash doesn’t understand why they are acting this surprised “We are” He affirms, watching their eyes widen his words.

Ash can’t believe it. He’s seeing the confirmation of it, but still can’t believe it.

He sees Go murmurs something to his counterpart, his face scrunching up funnily.

“Wait, so, they aren’t together?- you two _aren’t_ together?” He asks, even more confused than he’d been before, directing the question at them.

His friend shakes his head “We - uh, we’re friends, just friends” He clarifies, breaking Ash’s heart in the process.

It’s not like it was a lie. It’s not like he didn’t love being Go’s friend. Not like he hadn’t resigned himself to that being the only possibility.

Even though he was now learning it actually _wasn’t_ , that they could indeed be so much more.

“Oh…” Is all Ash says, pouting “Are you _sure?”_ Go elbows him in the ribs, frowning.

“Stop that” He scolds “Leave them be” his counterpart keeps pouting, but stays quiet, and then Go turns to address them “That’s - Ash and I were friends, too…” He offers, though he’s not sure of how that makes it better.

 _We were friends and then we weren’t?_ That wasn’t it, because they were still friends.

_We were friends and then we fell in love?_

_We were friends and waited until the eleventh hour to declare our feelings to one another?_

Ah.

So that was it.

He knew, objectively, that each Ash and Go on every universe would have different lives, different stories, and that not necessarily they would be a couple on every dimension, or have a grandiose love story.

Though the romantic side of him wished that would be the case.

Still, _this_ Go and _this_ Ash definitely had a thing for each other, and he could only hope that they would figure it out soon.

They were quite cute. Bashful and skittish, much like he and Ash had been years ago.

“You make a good couple” Says other-Ash, awkwardly, but with a faint smile on his face.

 _His-_ Ash smiles broadly at the comment “Thanks!” He exclaims, proud.

It’s much like complimenting themselves, which Go does find a little weird, but he appreciates the sentiment other-Ash is trying to transmit, and hopes his own counterpart can read in-between the lines of what is being said.

“Right” Says Go, trying to cut through the slow moment, it’s getting late anyways, and they really should be on their way to Poni Island “Ash, maybe we should…” he trails off, with a nod towards the door.

The trainer sighs in disappointment, but agrees “Yeah, all right. Pikachu, it’s time to go, buddy!” He calls, his small friend entertained with a shape-shifting Mew, that was currently a Komala rolling on the floor. It looks upset at the idea of leaving, Mew as well.

“Mew doesn’t get to play much with other Pokémon, I think it was happy your Pikachu is so friendly” Comments other-Go, watching their creatures dramatically say goodbye to each other.

“Eh, why does it not play much with others? Do your other Pokémon stay in their poke balls as well? Is that a thing here?” Asks Ash. It’s hard for him to imagine a world in which Pokémon aren’t friendly, or love to play.

“No, well, it’s not a _common_ thing, but Ash’s Pikachu is that way, and I don’t have any other Pokémon, so…”

“You _don’t?!”_ Interrupts an alarmed Go.

For all that he wants to capture Mew, and had proclaimed it to be his first Pokémon so many years ago, he could never imagine life now without his Pokémon, without the thrill that came with each new capture, or developing that bond with them, learning from them, looking after them.

He couldn’t imagine just catching Mew and…stopping there.

He locks eyes with Cinderace, that had been distractedly playing along with Pikachu and Mew for a while, its expression is as bored and indifferent as ever, but when Go looks at it he can very distinctively understand what it’s saying.

It couldn’t imagine a world without Go, either.

“Mew has the genetic composition of all other Pokémon in it” Explains other-Go, though he is fairly certain everyone in the room knows this “It seemed unnecessary to capture any other”

Unnecessary, but… “But all Pokémon are so different!” Defends Go “I mean, _yeah_ , Mew is awesome, and has so much power but - but other Pokémon are incredible, too! They have personalities and traits and ideas and you couldn’t just - you can’t just stop at one” He says.

Ash offers him a smile, understanding just how much Go cares about his Pokémon, and how proud he is of having learned the importance of creating bonds with them.

Other-Go shrugs “Do you have many Pokémon?” He asks.

Before Go can reply, Ash is answering with a mocking snort “Many? He’s got over three hundred of them”

“Three-hundred and sixty-four” Responds Go, feeling mighty with the number.

Other Ash’s eyes widen in amazement “Wow!” He exclaims “And you live with all of them?! That must be so amazing!”

Go can see a peek of his own Ash in that excitement, and feels an odd pang of tenderness for this other-version of his boyfriend.

“Well, we don’t _live_ with all of them, they couldn’t fit in our apartment” Explains Ash, snickering “But they live super close! In the lab where we work, and we see them all the time”Go imagines what all of their Pokémon would look like fitted in their small, two bedroom flat, and laughs at the mental picture.

“You live together?” Questions other-Go, his voice low, astonished.

“Oh - yeah!” Replies Ash, who had probably forgotten these two _weren’t_ a couple, and all this information of their relationship could be overwhelming to them “We have an apartment in Vermillion City, in the Kanto region - do you have a Kanto region here?” Other Ash nods, still caught up on the ‘living-together’ part “…Mm, it’s super awesome! We’re very close to work, and there’s an amazing curry restaurant just down the street, and…”

And they live together. That’s all Ash had needed to hear to understand that their alternative selves weren’t just dating, but they were _in love,_ genuinely so.

More than that, they were _committed,_ because you don’t just move in with someone you are dating. You move in when you’re sure of something. When you’re ready to be more than just a boyfriend or a girlfriend. When you’re ready to be someone’s _partner,_ to take on whatever may come, together.

This other Ash, with his same brown-eyes and odd marks in his cheeks - not only was he brave and loud and a real Pokémon trainer, but he had managed to cast a magic over Go that he never thought could be achieved.

He’d made Go love Ash back.

And he didn’t know why that made him both incredibly happy, and impossibly sad at the same time.

He only snaps out of it when he feels a tentative hand make its way to his lower back, resting warmly and reassuringly there. Go, who is still talking to their counterparts, had noticed his distress, and gotten close enough to offer some quiet support.

Ash doubted either of the other two boys had noticed the pink tainting his cheeks, but he had, and it made his heart swell with hope.

“It’s been really awesome meeting you” Is saying Go now, with a somewhat definitive tone, his own hand easily clasping his-Ash’s shoulder “But we really should be on our way. if I’m not mistaken, there’s only a few hours left before that ultra-wormhole closes, and it’s still a way to Poni Island” He explains, mostly to Ash, who still seems opposed to the idea of leaving.

 _Finally,_ Pikachu and Mew separate from their extended goodbye, that had become playtime again, and the four teens say their goodbyes to one another.

It had been odd, but undoubtedly a remarkable experience.

“I wish I could’ve gotten to know you more” says Ash, true admiration in his voice, petting Pikachu “You are really awesome” he compliments.

The trainer scratches his nose, a bit embarrassed “I mean, we are the same person, aren’t we? You’re just as awesome, I’m sure! Just - don’t worry so much!” He says “And…let Pikachu know you’re his friend, work on that, you’ll be inseparable, trust me” He advises.

Ash nods, and stretches his hand as a goodbye, his counterpart takes it, easy smile on his face, that turns into a bit of a scoff a moment later “And…take a chance, with Go, I mean. It’s the best thing you’ll ever do”

He’s blushing furiously, he knows, but he still manages to nod, with a determination he didn’t know he had in him. His brown-eyes lock with the other man’s. It’s a lot like looking in a mirror, like making a promise to himself.

He plans to follow-through.

“Ash was right, you are really cool” Says Go to his counterpart, who promptly turns a crimson red, nervous.

“Ah - I don’t know about that, you’re the one with hundreds of Pokémon” He downplays, sparing a look to Cinderace, that is standing next to Ash and Pikachu “Besides, you have something I…” he aborts the sentence, shaking his head with a sad huff.

But Go knows exactly what he meant to say “You know, it took Ash and I a while to figure it out, too” He comments, trying to sound reassuring “But once we did - hm…” he laughs to himself, and Go wants, he wants that _so much_ he desperately wishes he were his other self, stupid as that might sound “just know that there’s no reason why you two can’t work it out as well” He says “that future is in your hands, too”

Go looks up to him in amazement, because those exact words he’s been saying to himself for years, andhe can’t quite believe he’s hearing them from this other version of him, whose smile is so kind, and who has achieved the one thing he believed he couldn’t.

What’s more, has managed to _keep it,_ safe and happy.

“Thank you” Is what he replies, sincerely, still blushing, but his azure eyes have a glint of hope that hadn’t been there before. And Go feels like he’s succeeded in his mission.

They try another goodbye, and, finally, Ash calls out Dragonite. It takes them another five minutes of explaining that they are in a different dimension, and that its trainer hasn’t suddenly multiplied, they are just another version of him…Dragonite _mostly_ gets it, but then spends some extra minutes hugging the trainer’s counterpart.

Go humors them, but eventually insists they really need to leave now, Ash sheepishly separating them.

They wave goodbye until they’re just a distant point in the sky.

“Wow…” Is all Ash says, for the thousand time since they first ran into the alternate versions of themselves. He feels is an accurate enough expression.

Go says nothing, but, a moment later, he feels a warm, sweaty hand take a hold of his.

It’s firm.

It’s everything Ash has ever wanted.

He wants to say a million things, wants to turn and kiss Go senseless, ask him so many questions, say that he wants to be just like them, too. Be happy together, like they had seemed.

But he stays quiet, and all he does is squeeze the hand holding his.

He hears Go chuckle lowly, gaze still lost in the sky, the figure of their counterparts long-gone.

This is enough. Right now, this is more than Ash ever dared to dream about.

After this encounter, he feels ready to start dreaming bigger.

-0-

Ash waits until they are back on land again, thanking Dragonite for getting them to Poni Island so quickly, and calling it into its poke-ball for a well-deserved rest.

On the way to where the ultra-wormhole should be, however, he lays it down on Go with all he’s got.

“You’re a helpless sap” He teases, mockingly, breaking into Go’s space.

“S-Shut up, idiot. Besides, you were just as bad!” He accuses, turning his face away from the trainer’s.

Ash laughs, admitting to nothing, but not denying it, either.

Still, it had been nice to meet their other-selves, and he wished they could’ve stayed for the festival.

“If we did, Ash, then we would have to stay _forever._ That ultra-wormhole is the only safe way to return to our world” Explains Go.

“Will it still be daytime by the time we get back?” He asks next, hoping for a yes. He wouldn’t like for their 17th of November to be gone in the midst of inter-dimensional travel.

Go smiles fondly at the question “Should be - sometime around noon? We’ll have most of the day left” It’s not the full day Ash may have wanted, but all things considered, he can work with it.

“Gladion must be worried”

Yeah, probably, though he hand’t blinked when Go immediately said to jump after the trainer, nor did he object to the idea, _I’ll stay here, keep this thing stable._ He did seem worried, but he was also confident Go would know how to handle it. The only thing that made him nervous was the potential danger at the other side.

Luckily that hadn’t been a problem, either.

“Should be right…there” He points, to the same spot that they’d been to the night before. This one stripped from the gear and research tools of the Aether Foundation.

Go had been surprised to learn it was Professor Kukui, and not Professor Burnet, the one who knew most about ultra-wormholes in this reality. The white-haired woman more focused on teaching the young minds at the Pokémon school.

He hadn’t been surprised to know they were very much in love, and had married in this world, too. Nor had he been impressed at the fact that both their counterparts were wrapped around Naoko’s finger.

That was probably true on every single world.

Just like he and Ash loving each other.

Ah, maybe he was sap after all.

“Ready?” He asks to his partner, standing a few meters away from where the wormhole is, it shines brightly, just as it did on its other side before it sucked Ash in; which is actually a good sign, means it’s still active, should get them to their own world without much difficulty.

“Will this hurt?” Asks Ash, making Go chuckle “Don’t laugh! I was unconscious the last time!”

Go only laughs louder, and reaches to take his hand, Pikachu has been safely tucked in Go’s backpack, to keep it from getting hurt, Cinderace momentarily called into the poke-ball.

“It may be a rough landing” He admits “But it should be fine”

Ash nods, hesitantly, but trusting Go blindly.

And they jump, together.

It isn’t half as bad as Ash had expected. He doesn’t really feel much on the way there, and, although he has no way of knowing, he doesn’t think it’s more than a minute’s long trip.

When he opens his eyes again, he’s rapidly approaching a patch of grass on the ground, the wormhole practically spitting them out.

He lands on his back, the grass softening the impact some, but it hurts nonetheless.

Go lands on top of him, sucking the air out of him, but he’s glad he could soften _his_ fall. Pikachu running out of the backpack as soon as it feels they have arrived, looking around the place excitedly.

It isn’t exactly the same spot where the wormhole was supposed to be, and Gladion wasn’t anywhere to be seen. But Go had said this was normal, the energy of the ultra-wormholes sometimes too strong, could fly them off further from the epicenter, within a mile or so.

“Ugh, _ouch_ \- Go?... Baby, you all right?” He questions, shaking the unresponsive body above him.

“Yeah, I’ll live” Replies his boyfriend, a pained groan leaving his lips.

He reaches a hand to his pocket, releasing Cinderace from its poke-ball, knowing it’d want to be out as soon as they were back in their world. The fire hare is quick to join Pikachu in its exploration of their surroundings.

“Good” Says Ash, he wraps a loose arm around Go’s waist, his other coming up to cover his face from the sun.

Go had been right, it had to be at least noon…“Go?”

“Yes, Ash?”

“Happy anniversary” says the champion.

Go doesn’t move (doesn’t plan on doing so for a long, long time) but he accommodates his arms so that they are crossed on Ash’s chest, kissing his heart point lightly over the t-shirt.

“Happy anniversary” Replies the researcher “Hell of a date” he comments, voice muffled against the trainer’s chest.

And they laugh, that unrehearsed, in sync and honest laugh that comes so naturally to them when together.

Gladion will find them in a few minutes, Go still on top of Ash, and still laughing like the idiots they are.

Kukui and Burnet are definitely worried, because they never made it back to the house that night, and they are probably in a world of trouble for sneaking out like that, and falling into a potentially-dangerous dimension as unpreparedly as they had…

But not Ash nor Go really care about it at the moment. For right now (and for the rest of the day) they are happy with the knowledge that they are together, and that in this, and every world, they find each other.

As it is fated to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I?? wrote?? this??? chapter??? five times??? 
> 
> Well, I started it over five times, and I *think* I finally wrote a version I'm content with, it was harder than I thought to get around with the whole inter-dimensional travel thing, and the idea I had originally planned wasn't cutting it. 
> 
> But anyways, we're nearly there, loveys, almost finished with this story - I've got some soft anniversary shenanigans on the way next time :) Let me know what you thought of this one!
> 
> thank you for all of the support and nice comments 💛


	12. Night V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello loveys - I am so, so grateful for all of your comments over that last chapter! I really didn't expect the reactions to be so grand, but, then again, you are all the sweetest ever, so I shouldn't have been that surprised, THANK YOU so very much x x - you've made writing this fic a infinitely more fun, and I've loved chatting with you in the comments all the way through.
> 
> I'm not ready for it to end, but, alas, we have arrived to the final chapters, you may have noticed I've added an extra 13th chapter, I was talking to my sister and she said that she's never seen a good anime that has less than 13 chapters, and this isn't an anime, of course, but she had a point, and I also figured it'd be a good way to give the story a bit of an epilogue and wrap everything up, so I'm doing that in an extra chapter that will be up tomorrow! - because I do so hate to keep y'all waiting ;)
> 
> All right I'm gonna shut up now, enjoy the anniversary fluff!!

Gladion didn’t make many questions, he’d just wanted to know if they were all right, or needed any medical attention. They were, and they didn’t. They were just tired, and grimy ( _and hungry! We never got those malasadas you promised…)_ but they were perfectly fine.

It doesn’t surprise their blond friend to learn there _are_ Pokémon in this other world, but his interest does pique when Go mentions it’d been a parallel universe, having limited experience with them himself. They give him the cliff notes version, and the researcher promises to share more details with him through an email, later.

As it is, they’re simply too tired right now. And the marvelous idea of going back to the house is slightly tarnished by the - very likely - reprimand they are about to get from Kukui and Burnet.

Indeed, they are in a lot of trouble when they make it back to the house, and walking in feels more dangerous than finding themselves in a foreign world had been.

Burnet and Kukui receive them with a plethora of questions, and stern words on how they _should be more careful, how could they run away in the middle of the night!, what do you mean an parallel universe, what do you mean you broke into one of the Foundation’s projects, do you know how worried we’ve been, your alternate selves?! Go, you know better than to…actually, tell me more about that…_

After the mild-scolding, some explaining, and assuring their Alola parents that they were, indeed, very much safe and sound, they were allowed to settle, eat something, and retire to their room.

Turns out that multi-dimensional travel can be rather taxing on the human body, the accumulated stress not helping much, either. They were exhausted.

Yet, ready to crash as he is, Ash resists when Go proposes they take a nap.

“We were supposed to do something together today” He protests, but he allows Go to lead him to the bed, and take his shirt off.

They should’ve probably taken a shower, but even for that they’re feeling too jaded.

“Isn’t sleeping together something you love to do?” Counters Go teasingly, as he kisses Ash’s newly revealed shoulder blade, practically pushing him into the bed, both of them flopping unceremoniously on the mattress, that bounces at the suddenness of their combined weight.

Ash pouts, _point._ But that’s not what he’d meant.

“It’s just for a couple of hours. Besides, I don’t think we’ll enjoy anything we do right now, we’re _too tired”_ They really are, and he can see his boyfriend’s resolve dropping almost as fast as his eyelids are “We’ll cerebrate when we wake up” he promises, practically collapsing on top of the trainer, cuddling into him.

Ash doesn’t get to hear the last line, however, already having fallen asleep.

And it’s several hours later when he wakes up, somewhat startled.

He grabs Go’s phone from the nightstand, his eyes protesting the sudden brightness, but they open widely when he sees the time.

Half past five in the afternoon.

Damn it.

He was…slightly disappointed, had originally hoped to do a lot more for their anniversary. Then again, it had been _his_ fault that they wound up in a different world for however-many hours, and, hadn’t it been for Go recklessly following after him, he’d probably still be trapped in there. So he knew better than to complain much for the lost hours.

It _had_ been fun being to the other side. Fascinating, to meet that other version of himself, that other version of Go, and to see how painfully gone they were for one another.

It reminded Ash of that brief awkward period he and Go had been through right before they admitted their feelings to each other.

Four years ago today.

Huh…

Today was special to him, to _them,_ and, inter dimensional travel or not, he didn’t want to let the date just pass them by. There’s a reason they had planned their entire vacation to include this day.

It was a celebration, and it would be the first one they ever managed to spend actually together, not through a screen, not with a letter that arrives days later, not pining for the other, thousands of miles away.

No. Today Go was right there, next to him on the bed, sleeping pleasantly, his paced breathing softly blowing against Ash’s neck, a loose arm over the trainer’s stomach.

Their day might be almost over, but the night hadn’t even started. Besides, it would be their last one before they returned to Vermillion tomorrow. He planned to make the most of it.

More carefully than he would perform most other operations, he slowly gets up from the bed, making sure he doesn’t wake his sleeping partner.

Pikachu _does_ wake up, a sleepy, questioning look in its face.

Ash puts a finger to his lips, indicating to keep quiet “It’s our anniversary today” He whispers, the electric-mouse nodding, but still not understanding why that matters, when they could be sleeping instead “I’m just gonna…” he tilts his head sideways, pointing to the door “You can stay and rest” He says to his friend.

But Pikachu wouldn’t leave him alone on something this important, even if it can’t fully appreciate it at the moment. It shakes its head, willing the last of the sleep away, and sets to follow after its training, ready to help with whatever plans Ash has.

Not that there is much of a plan. It’s more of an _idea._ That it’s actually just _one thought,_ that Ash had had months before the day actually arrived, when they’d first spoken about going on vacation to Alola.

The Ruins of Conflict are kinda important to them. No, scratch that, they are _very_ important, hold some very special memories of their relationship.

It had been a bit of a hiding spot. When Ash managed to visit Alola and meet Go, he would always be forced to return to Aether Paradise at night, and they could only spend so many uninterrupted hours together between Go’s work and Ash’s friends demanding his attention as well.

But, thanks to an indulging Lillie, Go was able to escape Aether during some nights, and meet with Ash at the sacred cave. Tapu-Koko thankfully _not there,_ allowing them much craved privacy.

They shared heartfelt confessions under the filtered moonlight. Kissed each other senseless in between conversations. Laughed at the other’s stories and adventures during the time spent apart.

It had also been the place where they’d made love for the first time, some two years before, tender and clumsy and filled with dumb moments that made them cringe now. But it had been perfect nonetheless. It belonged to them. And it was precious.

Every minute was precious.

The place was sacred to them for reasons bigger than it just being the Island deity’s preferred home

…Though, actually, Ash could really use Tapu-Koko’s assistance on this. He hoped their long-standing rivalry (and equally strong friendship) would will the guardian to help on his mission.

“Where do you think you’re going, young man?” Questions Burnet, eyes narrowed in his direction, just as he’s readying to leave the house.

He winces, caught “I - I have a good reason, promise!” He exclaims, the Professor prompting him to share it with a pointed look “It’s, uh, it’s our anniversary today, Go and I’s…and we’ve already lost the whole day because of the whole ultra-wormhole thing, and I just - I can’t let day go to waste” he says, sounding disappointed at the idea “It’s too important, and I want to make it special, for him” he finishes, looking at Burnet with pleading eyes.

And, really, that was all there was to it. He _needed_ to make the date special for Go, because Go made every day special for him, and, if only for one day, he wanted to make his partner feel as over-the-moon as he felt on the daily, give back some of that magic the researcher so selflessly shared with him.

Burnet is looking at the trainer with warm eyes by the end of his explanation, and closes up to put a kind hand to his right shoulder, Pikachu already perched on the other one.

“You sweet, sweet boy” She exclaims, making him blush slightly “He is very lucky to have you, you know” Ash wants to tell her she’s wrong, that _he_ is the lucky one, that she should see the way Go just brightens his entire life. But he keeps quiet, and she’s talking again “All right, then, what do you need? You better let me help” She demands.

She’s fantastic, thinks the champion, kind and funny and always willing to help.

And Ash can use all the help he can get.

He tells her the plan… what he’s scrapped of it, and asks for her advise on how to make it better.

Sheepishly, Burnet admits Kukui is the most romantic out of the two of them.

So, they rope him in.

And Naoko joins, because _if you’re making a love surprise for big-brother Go, I want to play as well! I love big-brother Go, too, you know!_

And Ash loves her, so he doesn’t even try to argue.

He’s going to need help from the gang as well, if he wants to pull this off so last minute. Mallow especially.

Luckily, she’s so grateful for all the indecorous meddling they’d done, she is immediately on board with his still-developing plan.

It takes him two hours (and a handful of rushed calls to his friends to _please please don’t ask too many questions and just…),_ but he gets it done. And it’s even better than his vision had originally been, his friends really coming through with their help.

But they’d done beyond their part, and the rest of the evening it’s now in his hands.

Go is still sleeping when he goes back to the room, but Ash is familiar enough with his cues to know that he’s close to waking up, so he doesn’t feel too bad about forcing him to it.

“Baby…” whispers the trainer, sitting on the bed and placing a tender hand to his boyfriend’s shoulder, shaking him lightly.

“Mm?” It’s a sleepy grunt, the kind Ash was expecting to receive “Why are you there?” Mumbles a confused Go “Why aren’t you _here?_ ” He pats the empty space next to him on the bed, pout forming on his lips.

Ash chuckles “I’ve been up for hours” He says, and Go’s eyes open more seriously at the information “And I’m gonna need you to get up now, too” He requests.

“Why?” Groans the blue-eyed man, he pulls one of Ash’s arms into him, hoping he will forgo whatever it is he wants and just join him back in bed.

But Ash doesn’t yield “ _Because…”_ Drawls the trainer “I’ve got a surprise for you”

“A surprise?” He might be interested now, but it better be a hell of a surprise if it requires him to get out of bed.

“For our anniversary” Completes Ash, not repressing the smile the word brings to his face.

Oh Arceus, their anniversary.

Go sits up in a haste, getting dizzy with the movement, Ash holding him before he can flop back on the bed.

“Careful” He warns, voice going stern with worry.

“Ah, sorry - I’m - I’m good, ” Go clears his throat, incorporating himself, and meets the curious brown eyes with somewhat apologetic ones “Ash, I don’t, I didn’t _forget,_ but I -” The trainer silences him with a finger to his lips, smiling.

“Don’t worry about that… just, come with me? And wear something warm” He asks.

Go is feeling like a terrible boyfriend at the moment, so he just nods at the instructions, and says he’ll be ready in a few minutes.

Ash drops a kiss to his forehead, pleased, and tells him he’ll be waiting outside.

He gets some very suspicious looks from their family on the way out. And Naoko ambushes him just as he’s reaching the door, a card on her small hands.

“For me?” He questions, exaggerating his surprise (though it is, in fact, quite unexpected)

Naoko nods “it’s a love letter” she exclaims, proudly, handing it to him “Big-brother Ash said to read it later, when it’s light-time”

Go accepts, of course, but it’s now even more confused by her explanation. _What the hell was ‘light-time’? Had she meant daytime?_ He thanks her nonetheless, and doesn’t miss Kukui and Burnet’s quiet yet conspiratorially looks from the living room.

They practically usher him out, telling him not to keep his boy waiting. Which is an interesting turn, considering they were essentially grounded not six hours ago.

Just what is Ash up to, this time?

He doesn’t answer any of his questions when they meet outside, tells him to have some patience and wait till they’re there. He’s humorous, and giddy, which makes Go feel suspicious, but also very happy.

Because Ash is evidently excited about something, and that never fails to make him feel good.

Besides, it’s not like he’d prepared anything - well, he _had_ something, but Ash hadn’t given him a chance to…

“All right, we’re here” He hears the trainer say, Dragonite landing them securely. Go’s lifts his head, from where it had been idly resting to Ash’s back, taking in their surroundings.

‘Here’ was the entrance to the Ruins of Conflict.

Huh, so that’s what Ash had in mind.

Immediately, a wave of warm, kind memories come to his mind. From when he was sixteen, stupidly in love, and risking his internship for the sake of a few hours spent with his best friend.

He remembers Ash, telling him about his league battles with all the corresponding sound effects, making Go laugh to the high-heavens. Remembers reminiscing of previous adventures, when they were on the road together years before, always with fond, melancholic smiles on their faces.

He remembers the both of them whispering pained, longing words to one another, breathing each other’s air, drying the other’s tears. Promising that, one of these days, they wouldn’t have to say goodbye anymore.

He remembers kisses that almost made him lose consciousness. Caresses that raised goosebumps across his entire body.

He remembers Ash, a nervous, stammering mess (not unlike himself) the first time they’d gone all the way with each other. It was artless, and somewhat awkward, but it had also been fun, and tender, _so tender,_ Ash showing a gentleness and an adoration for Go he didn’t think could be possible. Go didn’t think he could be loved like that.

Then again, the champion did tend to surprise him, in the best way.

Today was as good an example as any.

“What did you do?” He asks to his partner, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Ash’s only response is a dumb grin, and then he takes a hold of Go’s hand, leading him into he cave.

Go briefly entertains himself with the thought that it’s the second time this week Ash walks him into a cavern at night without much explanation. When he remembers how that first time had ended, he decides is best not to question it so much.

“Close your eyes” Instructs the trainer, momentarily stopping.

Uh-oh “No way, this is a cave, you’re gonna make me _trip…”_

“I won’t” Refutes Ash, scoffing “Besides, I’m not making you walk anywhere, I’m just asking you to _close your eyes”_ the request is more urgent this time, and Go complies around a sigh, covering both eyes with his available hand, exaggerating the action to nag Ash.

He hears nothing for a moment, and then a _whooshing_ sound makes him flinch, his boyfriend snickering next to him. It takes all of his willpower not to peek, but the trainer has evidently gone through a lot of trouble, and he doesn’t want to spoil the surprise now.

He feels sudden light pressure his eyelids, and Ash’s voice speaking right into his ear, lovingly.

“Okay, you can open them”

Go does just that, and finds himself under a thousand tiny yellow lights, shining on the ceiling of the cave.

“Ash…?”

“Surprise!” Exclaims the champion, not loudly, not disturbing the ambiance, but still excitedly “Isn’t it cool? Oh, and we’ve got food, too! I know you must be hungry”

He _is,_ very much so, considering they’d only scarfed down some leftover curry after returning from other-Alola, falling asleep immediately after. And, actually, now that he repairs on it, it smells _amazing._

 _“_ A picnic?” Ash nods enthusiastically.

Of course, a picnic.

Picnics are kind of their thing. They go on dates to restaurants or the movies, when the mood strikes but - it’s just more enjoyable for them to pack some sandwiches and sweets, find a quiet meadow in the middle of their constant journeying, and spend a good couple of hours watching the clouds go by, playing with their Pokémon around them.

It’s _freeing,_ the type of simple pleasures they have in common, the type they prefer.

A picnic. Under an artificial starry night in the place where they’d shared so many memories.

Ash Ketchum was a romantic. And Go couldn’t quite believe he was fortunate enough be the one and only recipient of these gestures. That he was loved by this doting, heroic man. How had he gotten this lucky?

“You like it?” Questions the trainer, somewhat insecure, the fight from the night before flashes in Go’s mind…

And no, no, he wouldn’t accept that. Would _never_ take Ash feeling insecure about their relationship again, nobody should be this wonderful and still doubt themselves. He wouldn’t take it.

“Like it…Ash, this is incredible” He corrects, voice awed. And doesn’t hesitate about turning into his partner, lifting his hands to his face and kissing him deeply, pouring all his gratefulness and utter joy into it.

Ash blinks slowly when the kiss is over, silly smile back on his face “Happy anniversary, Go” he says, and Go needs to kiss him again.

“Happy anniversary, Ash” He mutters back, against the trainer’s lips, he kisses him a few more times, for good measure, until they’re laughing into each other’s mouths.

Ash leads them to their picnic, carefully placed in the middle of the clearing. They find Pikachu there, who had been making sure everything stayed as originally organized.

Go dutifully ignores the obviously missing treats on the trail Ash presents to him, and chooses instead to pet the yellow mouse, thanking it for its assistance with the plan.

“How did you make this happen?” He asks, pointing to the lights around them.

They make the whole place feel even more magical, ethereal, and, even though they are in a cave, it’s undeniably romantic.

“Well, I may have asked for assistance to a certain Island-guardian” He admits, a little sheepish, but also with some smugness in his tone.

“Is it…here now?” Go looks around them, expecting Tapu-Koko to manifest out of thin air and play a prank of them.

It _is_ the type, he’d learned, victim of various of its mischiefs during his time in the islands.

“Nah, place is ours for the night” Reassures Ash, making Go sigh out in relief.

He loved Tapu-Koko, and this was technically its home, but he was also happy it was just them.

Today was about them, after all.

“Four years, huh…” He considers out loud.

It sounds like such a long time, he’s not even nineteen yet (won’t be so for another month), and, still, he’s already been in a relationship for four entire years.

There’s a lot of power in that. And a lot of admiration, when one thinks of how much effort they’d put in to make it work, despite the distance, and the uncertainty of what the future looked like.

But, funnily enough, it doesn’t feel as that long. Four years of being a couple, much longer of being friends, of being in each other’s lives.

It has never felt as if it’s been ‘too-long’. Could never be, when he wants forever.

And Go had been younger than he is now when he’d first thought of spending his life with Ash, when he first allowed himself to fantasize with the concept of actually building the rest of his days next to the Pallet-town trainer.

He’d been young then, and he was young now, but the feeling of _rightness_ at the thought hadn’t changed. If anything, it had strengthened.

 _The rest of his life_ …yeah, but sometimes it felt a lot like they were already at it.

And he wouldn’t change a single thing. Not of their story thus far, nor of what it was to come, as long as it had Ash in it.

“I’m glad we could be together for this one” Offers Ash, when he’s been quiet for a whole minute.

Go laughs, drily “That’s how it’s supposed to be” it hadn’t been for them, up until now. But that, too, was different this year. That, too, was wonderful about this year “Let’s promise that, for all future anniversaries, we’ll do all that we can to be together on the day” He proposes.

“It’s not like we _weren’t trying_ before” Argues Ash, but he raises his arm anyways, hand in front of Go, who clasps it firmly with his own.

“No more missed anniversaries” He says. No more missed _anythings._

If he can help it, there’s not a moment he will miss with Ash.

Their eyes meet in acknowledgement, and Go relishes in the comfort of it. Being here, being together. it feels natural, and it feels _right._

He reasons it is, couldn’t be any other way. This is the fate they’d made for themselves, after all.

“Ah, I haven’t read Naoko’s letter” Remembers Go over dessert, the hazelnut treat in his hand reminding him on the girl’s eyes. “She said to open it at light-time, which I guess is now…”

Ash chuckles, he’d said _when the lights were shining,_ but light-time was better. He sees Go pull out the letter from his jacket’s pocket, his eyes widening comically when he opens it.

“Um…what is this?” He asks, confusedly, and Ash laughs candidly now, leaning even more into Go’s space, and looking at the letter as well.

“I had to keep her busy somehow, she really wanted to help” Explains the champion “I told her she could make you a love letter”

Which to Naoko apparently translated into a card filled with colorful hearts, what _may be_ a drawing of Pikachu, and some figure-sticks of _maybe_ him, _maybe_ Ash, and _most likely…._ Cinderace? - then there was her, with her unruly bronze hair and large hazel eyes, she was sending more colored hearts their way.

It was hilarious, but it also made Go’s heart fill with warmth. A love letter, indeed.

“This is the cutest thing ever” He says, holding it to his chest.

“It’s from the both of us, you know” Flirts Ash, nuzzling at Go’s neck, who bares the tan skin shamelessly, happy to be tended to.

For the rest of the night, they do what they know best: enjoy each other.

They talk about the place, the dinner Mallow had prepared ( _how did you do all of this, anyways?, we have cool friends…and we owe Sophocles some fancy-name Pokémon gear)._

They reminisce a little, briefly brushing over their first-time, laughing and cringing at the remembrance ( _I like to think we’ve gotten better, oh, definitely, we certainly love to practice!)._

They get emotional, when they remember anniversaries that have passed, the last one a tragically signal-interrupted video-call, that had ended with both of them just texting each other instead. Disappointed at the circumstances, but still happy to have each other, despite it all.

And then Ash brings up the day they were celebrating in the first place, that one fateful night in which they’d declared their feelings to one another.

They both remember it dark, ominous, the weight of what was to come already looming over them. But they also very distinctly remember how urgent that first kiss had been, they remember the hushed words, muttered in between hungry, inexperienced clashes of their mouths.

They remember hugging one another though the night, eyes shining with unshed tears, and drying away the ones that escaped them. Promising things they shouldn’t have, things they couldn’t know.

Go remembers Ash taking advantage of the moment to spend the night on the top-bunk ( _for the thousand time, you invited me!, I did not)_

He had, actually, but it was fun to rile the trainer up.

They never officially asked each other to be ‘boyfriends’, but Ash started referring to Go as such immediately after that night and, when a year later, on the exact date their first kiss had been, Ash called and wished him a happy anniversary, Go had easily replied in kind.

And that been it. Simple. Kind, warm, and supportive.

The food is gone, and they’re now cuddling on the ground ( _you brought a blanket? I gotta say, this week is the most prepared I’ve ever seen you, s-shut up! I’m never doing anything nice again…)._

“Thank you” Murmurs Go into the trainer’s chest.

Ash kisses his forehead then, the arm around Go’s shoulders tightening its embrace “Thank _you”_

For staying this long, longer than anyone else ever had. For loving him, showing him a type of friendship and intimacy he didn’t think he could ever understand, until he found Go, and it was natural. For being part of his adventure, his journey. For making it _their_ journey, one that, almost a decade in, felt as if it were just beginning.

How could he begin to repay all that Go had given him?

He didn’t know.

But he hoped he could spend a lifetime trying to do just that.

“You know…” Says Go, speaking quietly, as they’ve been doing for most of the night, Ash able to fall into a mellower demeanor, when it’s this calm enough around, when it’s just the two of them, and he has no need to be overly-anything “I had a present for you, too”

Ash hums, curious “Yeah? Can I have it?” He feels the blue-eyed man shake his head, his hand, that had been caressing Go’s hair, moves along with the motion.

“It’s back in Vermillion, I couldn’t bring it with me, with all the Hoenn drama” He explains “But I’ll give it to you tomorrow, as soon as we get home” He promises, and Ash smiles at the wording.

 _Home._ Because that’s always been home to Go, born and raised in the city, not changing despite his seasons spent elsewhere.

 _Home,_ because there is now a small, two bedroom apartment in Vermillion City that holds most of their stuff in it. Ash’s trophies, Go’s certificates and recognitions. It holds pictures of them, of their families and Pokémon.

They only need one bedroom, as it is, and the other has become an odd mixture of an office and a guest-room, _occasionally_ a training ground for their Pokémon ( _Which is not a good idea, Ash, cut it out already)._

Their home is minutes away from the Sakuragi Institute, which is awfully convenient (but also exactly what they had wanted) now that they both work there.

Together, like they’d hoped to achieve for so long.

Vermillion _is_ their home, right now. And Ash has no problems with calling it as such, or with Go’s use of the word in a sentence. It’s practical, and _not_ wrong.

But, still, his ultimate recognition of a home, where he feels loved, cherished, and, above all, understood…that to him, more than a place, is a person.

He’s holding them in his arms right now.

And he doesn’t plan on letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked that, let me know your thoughts! Is Ash a romantic or what? I feel like he would be, because oblivious as he is, he really cares about people and I mean he has a heart of goldddd, he would be the type to spoil their SO.
> 
> thank you so much for reading! I adore you all x


	13. Day VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we call this a grand finale? 
> 
> I'm gonna call it a grand finally, even though it's quite short:

“You ready?” Asks the trainer, adjusting his hat over his head.

“Almost” Replies Go, who is struggling to fit clothes back in his luggage, How had Ash managed to bring all of this stuff, anyways?

Ash tuts “We can do that later, come on, we’ll be late for breakfast” He whines.

He _would be_ the type to hurry, if food was on the line.

But today Go could agree, since it was their last day in MeleMele, and they were meeting everyone for one last breakfast party at Mallow’s restaurant.

Kukui, Burnet and Naoko were waiting for them already, which was all the more reason why finishing with the packing could be pushed off for a few hours.

That’s all they had left, a few hours, before they were meant to board the plane that would take them back to Vermillion.

It was bittersweet.

While Ash couldn’t deny he loved living in the city, having their own place, and working alongside with Go in the Sakuragi Institute, he also missed his Alola friends and family when they were away, he had a special connection to this place, his memories and adventures here too grand for him not to miss it on the regular.

But he considered himself lucky, to know they had so many people that cared for them in this region, and he knew they could always come back.

It was also a change for the best that, this time, Go would be returning with him, and it wouldn’t just be a week-off in which they would have to say goodbye at some airport terminal after a few days of bliss.

No, this time around, they returned home, together.

That if they left at all- 

“Go” He drawls, getting impatient “There won’t be any breakfast left!”

Go chuckles, because, _honestly_ “There will be plenty of food for you, don’t be so dramatic” Ash sticks his tongue out, mockingly “But all right, let’s go” He - _finally -_ says, as he pulls at Ash’s arm, who twines their fingers together instead, leading them to join the rest of their family outside.

Their friends don’t disappoint, having prepared a feast that could’ve fed an army, but turned to be just about enough to satisfy everyone’s appetite.

There are plans for the festival going on, and Go makes a mental note to plan their next visit around that date the following year.

Then there are Naoko’s excited chants about starting Pokémon school next year, in Lillie’s introductory class for children below ten, which she’s very excited about teaching.

Sophocles announces that he will be visiting Vermillion in a few months, for a project he’s been working on with Ren. And Lillie surprises everyone when she comments she’ll be in the city, too, and, although she doesn’t reveal her reasons, Ash and Go are excited at the news, and offer to show them both around.

She omits to say Gladion might be joining her as well, but she doesn’t think they’ll have a problem with it.

Mallow and Lana are still subtle, but adorable, holding hands and whispering things to each other from time to time. Go thinks they will be just fine, despite the rocky start.

They meet Annie, too, towards the end of the meal, when she arrives on the back of a mighty looking Braviary. She’s a lot different than they expected, yet, still somehow _exactly_ as anyone who is dating Kiawe would be. Her blonde hair and bright blue eyes are bright, her tan skin shining healthily under the Alola sun. She’s really pretty, in Ash’s opinion, and just as fiery and virtuous as their friend.

The hardest part is probably saying goodbye to his Pokémon again.

It’s hard every time, having spent time together after a season, going on adventures and training, working as a team, _battling._ He loves all that so much.

And he knows they’re well taken care of, of course, but it doesn’t mean he won’t miss them.

To make matters worse, they’ve become friends with Go’s Pokémon as well, and the scene of a saddened Incineroar hugging a tiny Vaporeon, and Prinplup’s cries at saying goodbye to Melmetal are enough to make Ash want to miss that plane, just so their creatures are happy.

But then it’s time to say goodbye to Naoko, and that really is the hardest part.

They all cry.

Her eyes are teary, and, even though she’s a big girl and big girls don’t cry over silly things, her brothers going away isn’t a silly thing. It’s a big deal, in her opinion, because she wishes they would stay forever, and why don’t they stay forever? When will she see them again? Will they be back before Christmas? Can they bring more Pokémon next time…?

“We’ll see you again real soon, Nao, and you can call us anytime, yeah? Mom and dad have our numbers” Says Go, kneeling so their eyes are leveled, his sad azure ones meeting the watery hazel of his baby sister’s.

He lifts her in his arms a moment later, tickling her, trying to lift her spirits.

She squeaks at his attentions, and she releases a child-like, high pitched laughter.

Go’s heart aches at the realization that he won’t be hearing that on the daily, having grown so used to it in just one week.

“Take care of my Pokémon, will you?” Requests the trainer, pinching her nose playfully, and nodding to his companions, that are all waving their goodbyes “Especially Incineroar, I think it needs you to give it extra-attention” He winks, sotto voice, so the fire cat doesn’t hear them.

He better gets off the island before Incineroar finds out about that comment.

She dutifully promises to do so, and gives them both a large hug before Go hands her back to her parents, who are trying - and failing - to cover their own tears.

“We love you so much, my boys, please be careful out there” Says Burnet, when they’re all locked in a family hug.

“We love you, too” Responds Ash, blinking back his own tears.

They thank her for welcoming them in their house, for making it feel as their home as well. _Why, this is your home,_ replies Burnet, and Ash adores her a little more.

It’s always the same, no matter how many times he has said goodbye over the years. The pang of pain at leaving this region, leaving his family here, It never goes away, and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be entirely okay with having to leave, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It tells him there is something in this place that is precious, worth coming back for every time.

Ash is too used to goodbyes, has travelled enough, and met enough people that he has come to assimilate them with a lot of ease, it’s never _not_ painful to part ways with people he cares so much about, but he is always happy to remember the time they have shared together, and is proud to know his friends are moving on to new adventures.

He does the same. It comes with the lifestyle he’s chosen. With the steps he must take to achieve his dream.

But, for some reason, Alola is different. It feels different.

The only thing harder than saying goodbye to Alola had been saying goodbye to Go.

And he feels infinitely fortunate he doesn’t have to do that anymore.

-0-

A few hours later, when they’re up in the air,and it’s still a while before arriving in Vermillion, Go rests his head to the trainer’s shoulder, sleepily, momentarily done with the book he’s been reading.

Ash drops a kiss to the top of his head, and takes a hold of Go’s hand that had been resting on his thigh, giving it a kiss, too.

“Love you” He whispers.

Go smiles at the words, drowsy and content to be held.

It’s a declaration, but it’s also a silent _thank you,_ for the time they’ve had this week.

For going after him into that ultra-wormhole, dangerous as it could have been.

For helping him make sense of his feelings, when he’d been upset at his friends’ behavior.

For his help in getting Lana and Mallow together (which they would totally be taking credit for).

For staying by his side, really, not only this week, but always.

For the last four years. And the time before that as well.

“Love you, too” Replies Go, just as quietly, voice warm.

Ash relishes in the words. In how simple they sound, how easily they flow between them.

He doesn’t take them lightly, though, and holds onto their meaning fiercely.

It’s only a few hours before they are back in Vermillion. A few days before they are expected to return to Sakuragi Institute, to continue with their unraveling of the Professor’s mystery list.

There’s unpacking, and dinner, and other adult things that he doesn’t quite want to think about right now.

At the moment all he wants to do is join Go on his nap (Pikachu way ahead of them both).

He dreams of the fresh memories made that week in the place that - hopefully - he won’t have to say goodbye to anymore.

Someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for tuning in every week, I hope you've enjoyed reading it, I've certainly had a blast writing it, thank you for all your comments and kudos and support, they truly mean the universe to me.
> 
> There's more to come! I have some ideas for where this series will go, and of course I'd love to hear your suggestions! got any prompts? comments? Let's find more ways to put these two wholesome beans in more wholesome situations, drop all the love/tomatoes/critiques in the box below ⬇️
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you for reading. I adore you all, please be safe out there! 💛


End file.
